DEFENCE

Challenger 2 Tank

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans the MOD has for improvements to the Challenger 2 tank following the training exercise in Oman; what they will be; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Minister for the armed forces gave on 22 January 2002, Official Report, column 733W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Clwyd, South (Mr. Jones).

Iraq

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions (a) coalition aircraft and (b) UK aircraft patrolling the southern no-fly zone in Iraq have (i) detected violations of the no-fly zones, (ii) detected a direct threat to a coalition aircraft and (iii) released ordnance in (1) January and (2) February, stating for each month the tonnage of ordnance released; what has been (A) the nature of the violation detected, (B) the nature of the threat detected and (C) the category of target attacked in percentage terms; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The information is:
	(i) No-fly-zone (NFZ) violations are detected in several ways, though rarely (if ever) by tactical aircraft. For reasons of operational security we do not release details of detection methods. No violations of the southern NFZ were detected in January or February.
	(ii) In January and February, coalition aircraft recorded threats on a total of 11 occasions, as follows:
	January—8
	February—3.
	10 of the recorded threats were attacks by anti-aircraft artillery. The remaining one was an attack by other weapons.
	(iii) Coalition aircraft in the southern NFZ released 9 tons of ordnance in January, and none in February.
	100 per cent. of ordnance released was in self-defence responses by coalition aircraft against military targets in the Iraqi Integrated Air Defence System.

Type 45 Destroyers

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the delays in the contract to build six type 45 destroyers;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the additional costs expected due to delays in signing a contract for the building of six type 45 destroyers.

Lewis Moonie: As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence announced to the House on 10 July 2001, Official Report, columns 676–85, the timing of the contract was dependent upon the completion of satisfactory negotiations between the Ministry of Defence and the prime contractor, BAE Systems Electronics, and between the prime contractor, BAE Systems Marine and Vosper Thornycroft.
	While it was originally planned that by September 2001 the parties would enter into a legally binding agreement, intensive work on the programme has clarified the timescales in which the shipbuilders had to make their investment decisions to maintain the T45 programme. The commitment, as announced by the Minister for Defence Procurement on 18 February 2002, has been made in time to allow the shipbuilders to make their investment decisions and participate in the programme as planned.
	It should be emphasised that both shipbuilders have been working hard in the Type 45 programme under the prime contractor for around two years. The ship design, which is rapidly maturing, has been unaffected by the negotiations between the prime contractor and shipbuilders over the build contracts.
	There are no additional costs due to the later than anticipated contract signing and we remain fully committed to achieving our scheduled in service date for the First-of-Class of 2007.

Army Personnel

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Lieutenant-Colonels, (b) Majors, (c) Captains, (d) Sergeant-Majors (Warrant Officer Class II), (e) Sergeants and (f) Corporals there are meant to be in the Army; and how many there are at the latest date for which figures are available.

Adam Ingram: The following table shows the strengths, by rank, against the 2001 Manpower Planning Target.
	
		
			  Target figure Strength as at 1 February 2002 
		
		
			 Lieutenant-Colonel 1,481 1,625 
			 Major 4,673 4,555 
			 Captain 4,893 4,181 
			 Sergeant-Major (WO II) 4,435 4,962 
			 Sergeant 11,190 10,212 
			 Corporal 17,627 15,922 
		
	
	These figures do not include Lieutenant Colonels on the Special List (Lt Col (SL)), Warrant Officer Class I, Staff Sergeant or Lance Corporal.
	The target figures for each rank are currently undergoing routine review; this will take into account the establishment changes made by individual budget holders since the 2001 targets were set. These establishment changes have, in particular, led to a marked increase in the requirement for staff officers at the rank of Major and Lieutenant Colonel.

Nuclear Tests (Nevada)

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the joint UK/US Los Alamos National Laboratory underground sub-critical nuclear test which took place at Nevada on 14 February; and if he will give an undertaking that the information gathered from the test will not be used to design a replacement for existing Trident warheads.

Lewis Moonie: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 12 February 2002, Official Report, columns 165–66W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Cleethorpes (Shona McIsaac). The purpose of this experiment was to help us to ensure that UK nuclear weapons remain safe and reliable. No new warhead system is being designed by the UK and the experiment was entirely consistent with our obligations under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

Court Martial

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were sentenced to a period of imprisonment by court martial in the last year; and for what offences.

Adam Ingram: During the year 2000, which is the most recent year for which complete figures are available at this time, the number of service personnel sentenced to imprisonment and military detention by courts-martial was as follows:
	Royal Navy
	Military detention—nine, consisting of:
	Three for assault
	Two for actual bodily harm
	Two for theft
	One for dishonesty
	One for possession of drugs
	Army
	Imprisonment—31 consisting of:
	15 for offences concerned with violence
	Nine for sexual offences
	Four for theft
	Three for drug related offences
	Military detention—257, consisting of:
	100 for crimes of violence:
	82 for absence without leave
	35 for theft
	Nine for sexual offences
	Six for drug related offences
	Five for desertion
	Four for driving under the influence
	One for criminal damage
	15 for other offences
	Royal Air Force
	Imprisonment—four, consisting of:
	Two for furnishing false information
	One for theft
	One for indecent and common assault
	Military detention—19, consisting of:
	Five for false accounting
	Five for actual bodily harm—one with battery, one with drunkenness
	Two for theft—one with obtaining by deception, one with prejudice to good order and wilful damage
	One for unlawful wounding
	One for failure to attend for duty
	One for drug possession
	One for battery
	One for disgraceful conduct, drunkenness and disobeying lawful command
	One for indecent assault
	One for obtaining property by deception and theft.
	Notes:
	1. The figures listed do not include suspended detentions.
	2. Five members of the Army received other forms of custodial sentences (eg Young Offenders Institution, three for crimes of violence and two for AWOL).

Sierra Leone

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his plans for British troop deployments in Sierra Leone after the elections in that country.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 7 March 2002
	As I explained to the House on 11 February 2002, Official Report, columns 15–16, we are maintaining our current military presence in Sierra Leone of some 360 shore-based personnel over the period of the elections in May. Thereafter, our intention is that the International Military Advisory and Training Team will continue the task of developing the capacity of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces.

Departmental Expenditure Limits

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2002 to the hon. Member for Worcester (Mr. Foster), Official Report, column 1133W, on departmental expenditure limits, for what capital projects the sum of £261,594,000 transferred from the capital element to the resource element of the departmental expenditure limit had been earmarked.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 8 March 2002
	The circumstances that give rise to transfers between the Department's capital and resource expenditure limits were described in the answer given to the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin) on 6 March 2002, Official Report, column 325W. There are typically in excess of 1,000 capital projects and sub-projects under way in the Ministry of Defence at any given moment. It is not possible to attribute the sum transferred to individual projects, the spend profiles of almost all of which will have changed since the expenditure limits were set for the current year.

Service Pensions

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces pension scheme retired in (a) 1975, (b) 1976 and (c) 1977.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 11 February 2002
	This information is not available for Army retirements and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The figures for the Royal Navy and RAF are as follows.
	Retirements
	1975—21,663
	1976—20,328
	1977—12,690.
	Retired has been taken to mean exited the armed forces.

Aerospace Industry (Assistance)

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received, since 11 September 2001, on helping the aerospace industry by advancing military orders; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: We have received several representations from hon. Members and industry. The Government have a close interest in the success of the aerospace industry, with whom we maintain regular dialogue. We have examined ways in which it may be possible to bring orders forward, and we are always happy to discuss any specific proposals. At this time we have not identified any orders which could be brought forward within our available resources and industrial capacity but the UK aerospace industry already benefits from a large programme of work on Ministry of Defence projects including JSF, Eurofighter, A400M, Nimrod, and Apache.

Rail Journeys (Staff)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy that rail journeys undertaken by staff in his Department should ordinarily be on standard class tickets.

Lewis Moonie: No. Where Ministry of Defence civil servants are required to travel on official business they are expected to do so in the most effective and economic way. When journeys are made by rail then the class is determined by reference to the individual's grade. There are no plans to change the current entitlements, which form part of the terms of employment and cannot unilaterally be altered.

Tomahawk Missiles

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors were considered in awarding Raytheon the contract to remanufacture Tomahawk missiles for the armed forces; if he plans to publish the results of the tests performed; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The contract to remanufacture Tomahawk missiles is between the United States Department of Defense and Raytheon, which is the only manufacturer of this equipment. The Ministry of Defence requirement has been added to the US purchase under a Foreign Military Sales agreement with the US DoD. The performance of the remanufactured missiles will match that of the Tomahawk Block IIIC missiles already in service with the Royal Navy.

Apache Helicopter

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are for the new Apache helicopters to use the combined laser designator rangefinder; what safety assessment has been conducted; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The WAH64 Apache helicopter is fitted with a combined laser rangefinder and designator supplied by Lockheed Martin. A full safety assessment is being undertaken, and will be subject to clearance by the appropriate Ministry of Defence Safety Committee.

Apache Helicopter

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Apache attack helicopters are in service; and how many are due to become operational.

Adam Ingram: 14 Apache attack helicopters have been accepted into service by the Army. A further three aircraft are engaged in trial work. The balance of 50 aircraft have yet to be delivered. We expect a maximum of 58 to be in use at any one time: 48 will be allocated to operational squadrons and 10 to the School of Army Aviation.

Apache Helicopter

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which operations the Apache helicopter has been used.

Adam Ingram: There have not been any United Kingdom Apache attack helicopters used in operations to date.

Apache Helicopter

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the armaments of the Apache helicopter and on how much each helicopter is worth.

Adam Ingram: The UK Apache helicopter will be armed with a combination of Hellfire Missiles, CRV7 rockets and a 30mm gun. The aircraft is being acquired through a combined development and production contract for the aircraft, support equipment and spares. As such, the contract does not specify a unit price. However, for internal resources accounting purposes, we have estimated the attribution of the contract price and this gives a value of some £27.5 million per aircraft. This estimate is based on necessarily subjective assessments and should not be regarded as an accurate replacement cost for the aircraft.

Accommodation Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of hotel accommodation for departmental staff working away from home in each of the last four years.

Lewis Moonie: The cost of hotel accommodation used by Ministry of Defence civil servants working away from home in each of the last four years is as follows:
	
		
			 Year £ million 
		
		
			 1998–99 14.3 
			 1999–2000 16.0 
			 2000–01 16.1 
			 2001–02 13.9 
		
	
	These figures are based upon annual statistics covering the period May to April. The final year's total is based on actual figures for May 2001 to January 2002 and projected to give a 12-month total.

Relocation Expenses

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the payment of relocation expenses to staff in his Department.

Lewis Moonie: The Ministry of Defence's policies on the payment to its civil servants of relocation expenses follow the general principles set out in the Civil Service Management Code and are detailed in the MOD Civilian Transfer Manual.
	Staff who are transferred in the public interest are entitled to a range of financial assistance to enable them to take up their new duties. Depending upon the circumstances, the individual may be entitled to support for a move of home or, where a move of home is not justified, assistance with additional commuting costs. In order to qualify for reimbursement, expenses must be reasonable, necessarily incurred and result in no overall "betterment" in the standard of housing. In order to facilitate house moves, the Department operates a contractor-run Relocation Company Scheme, which offers Guaranteed Sale Prices to vendors as well as estate agency, survey, removals and legal services.

Snagge Report

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 28 February 2002, ref. 38529, on the Snagge report, for what reason he will not publish Colonel Snagge's report "The Command Structure in the United Kingdom"; and if he will discuss this with the Open Government Task Force.

Adam Ingram: The "Snagge Report" was an unsolicited piece of work by the Chief of Staff of the Division then based in York. It argued for keeping the headquarters of 2 Division in York and, as such, provided a very one- sided opinion. It did not represent a balanced Army view, and its publication would be highly misleading. For these reasons, I decided not to release it.
	The Code of Practice on Access to Government Information makes no requirement to consult before making a decision to withhold information under an exemption.

Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will announce the preferred bidder for the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft; and when he expects final contracts to be signed.

Lewis Moonie: Our current aim is to decide later this year whether PFI will provide the best value money procurement solution for the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft project and, if so, which consortium is our preferred bidder. Contract signature is currently scheduled for 2003. However, the precise timing will depend on a range of factors, including the satisfactory conclusion of complex contract negotiations.

Surinder Nath Saggar

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 19 November 2001, Official Report, column 14W, on sovereign bases, when he will give a substantive reply concerning Surinder Nath Saggar of Brompton on Swale; and what plans he has to revise the (a) Race Relations Act 1976 and (b) Sex Discrimination Act 1975 to make them applicable to service personnel working on sovereign bases outside the European Union.

Adam Ingram: Lieutenant Colonel Saggar has been granted leave to appeal the decision of the Employment Tribunal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal. A preliminary hearing has been listed for 1 July 2002. It would therefore be inappropriate for me to comment further on matters relating to this case in view of the on-going proceedings.

Sovereign Bases

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the British Medical Association concerning the application of (a) the Race Relations Act 1976 and (b) the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 to service personnel serving on sovereign bases outside the European Union.

Adam Ingram: There have been no such discussions between the Ministry of Defence and the British Medical Association.

Explosives

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if the new explosive factory in the US run by BAE Systems will meet all the UK's requirements for military explosives;
	(2)  what his long-term policy is on the manufacture of explosives in the UK.

Lewis Moonie: The Ministry of Defence places contracts for the supply of whole munitions. The sourcing of components for those munitions, including high explosives, is a matter for the prime contractor. The MOD aim is to achieve value for the taxpayer, as well as the security of supply of safe and reliable munitions for the armed forces. The Framework Partnering Agreement between the MOD and Royal Ordnance Defence which was signed in 1999, has been established to help ensure these aims, and world benchmark prices for munitions supplied to the MOD, are achieved.

Shackleton Barracks

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what disciplinary action has been taken against soldiers stationed at Shackleton Barracks following the manufacture, transport and display on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday of a banner; and what measures he has taken in respect of the effect on the relatives of those killed.

Adam Ingram: None. No evidence has been presented which suggests that soldiers from Shackleton Barracks, Ballykelly were involved in this incident.

Air Conditioning

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures were taken to ensure that the consultant advising on the installation of air conditioning during the recent refurbishment of (a) his Department's main building and (b) RAF High Wycombe was aware of the Government's policy on the use of hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants in air-conditioning; and if he will make a statement on the measures taken by the consultant to source practical and safe alternatives to hydrofluorocarbon-based air-conditioning.

Lewis Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Air Conditioning

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether an installer capable of installing not-in-kind air conditioning was invited to quote for the recent refurbishment contract for (a) his Department's main building and (b) RAF High Wycombe; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: It is assumed that the term not-in-kind refers to an air-conditioning/refrigeration system that is not based upon a vapour compression refrigeration cycle using halocarbon refrigerants.
	No installer capable of installing not-in-kind air conditioning was invited to quote for the recent refurbishment of main building or the chiller replacement unit in the Strike Command Operations Centre at RAF High Wycombe.

RMSE Brompton Barracks

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to make a statement on the public-private partnership for RMSE Brompton Barracks.

Adam Ingram: Bids for the public-private partnership project for the Royal School of Military Engineering at Chatham and Minley (which encompass Brompton Barracks) are currently subject to rigorous examination by the project team. I envisage an announcement on the selection of the preferred bidder towards the end of this year.

Refurbishment

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  who provided or is providing the (a) windows and (b) doors for the refurbishment of the MOD building;
	(2)  what organisation or company provided the certification for the doors and windows for the refurbishment of the Ministry of Defence building to show that they were produced from sustainably managed sources; and if he will place a copy of these certificates in the Library.

Lewis Moonie: The existing aluminium framed windows are not being replaced except for those beyond economic repair or damaged during the construction process. These will be replaced with windows of similar construction.
	The developed Ministry of Defence Main Building will be open plan in design. Existing doors taken from the building will be re-used in certain circumstances, e.g. fire doors. No contracts have yet been placed in respect of either windows or doors for the redevelopment.

Logistics

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on proposals to review defence logistics following the action in Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: It is our normal practice to undertake a full audit of all operations and exercises with the aim of identifying lessons to be learned, including those that are relevant to defence logistics matters. Work is in hand on the lessons to be learned from all aspects of operational deployments to Afghanistan.

Fast Jet Pilots

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many fast jet pilots have left the RAF in each of the past five years; how many of those left at the end of their commission; and how many sought premature voluntary retirement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 8 March 2002
	The numbers of fast jet pilots who left the RAF in each of the past five years are set out in the table.
	
		
			  Exits at end of commission(2) PVR Other reasons(3) Total 
		
		
			 1997–98 56 23 3 82 
			 1998–99 64 23 7 94 
			 1999–2000 53 23 4 80 
			 2000–01 37 22 0 59 
			 2001–02(1) 46 21 4 71 
		
	
	(1) Figures to 31 January 2002
	(2) Includes those leaving at option points
	(3) Includes compulsory retirement, medical discharges and death-in- service

A400M

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the manufacturer of the A400M about the aircraft's engines; what assessment he has made of the power to size ratio of the A400M engines; what steps he has taken to promote Rolls Royce engines for the A400M; when the first A400M will come into service; and when the first A400M will come into service in the UK;
	(2)  how many years it will take to bring the A400M into service; whether the retendering process for the A400M's engines will delay its introduction into service; what discussions he has had with his German counterpart about the Bundestag Finance Committee's discussions on the A400M; how many United Kingdom jobs are dependent on the A400M; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Centrifuge (RAF Henlow)

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the centrifuge at RAF Henlow begins operations; how overdue is the start of operations; and what measures he will take with regard to the contractor responsible.

Adam Ingram: The contract for the human centrifuge at RAF Henlow has been terminated. Negotiations with the original contractor are presently on-going and therefore it would not be appropriate to comment at the present time.

Headley Court

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many patients are waiting for treatment at the joint services rehabilitation centre at Headley Court.

Lewis Moonie: As at 7 March this year, some 880 patients have been referred for treatment and are currently awaiting admission to the Defence Services Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Headley Court.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Departmental Events

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by her Department and which took place on non-Departmental premises in each of the last four years giving the title, purpose, date and cost of each.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 11 February 2002
	My own Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Offices, was the joint sponsor, with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, of a conference of Presidents of the Supreme Courts and Attorneys General of the member states of the European Union in financial year 2000–01. The cost to LSLO was £34,534.25. There is no record of any other qualifying event occurring over the period in question.
	The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Research

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General how many people were working in a research capacity in the office of the (a) CPS, (b) Attorney-General and (c) Solicitor-General in each year since the inception of the CPS, as a percentage of (i) staff turnover and (ii) the number of people employed.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 27 February 2002
	The Policy Directorate in CPS Headquarters, based in London and York, presently employs around 60 staff, of which 30 are qualified lawyers. This constitutes 0.05 per cent. of the number of people presently employed by the CPS. Unfortunately, figures to show the number of Policy Directorate staff in each year since the inception of the CPS cannot be disaggregated from recorded data either as a percentage of staff turnover or the number of staff employed.
	The Directorate has responsibility for development of prosecution policy, setting standards and giving guidance to CPS staff on the criminal law generally. It also contributes to the development of criminal law by liaising with other agencies on new legislative proposals and initiatives. This often involves research based work for both the legally qualified staff and for a smaller number of administrative staff.
	The office of the Attorney-General and Solicitor- General also does not employ persons in a specific research capacity, but is staffed predominantly by lawyers whose role is to brief the Law Officers on a wide range of issues.

Accountancy Services

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General what the total cost to her Department was for accountancy services in each of the last four years.

Harriet Harman: The total cost to my own Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, of accountancy services in each of the last four year has been nil. In relation to the other Departments for which the Attorney-General is responsible, the details are as follows:
	Crown Prosecution Service
	The total cost to the Crown Prosecution Service of accountancy services, in each of the last four years has been as follows:
	£29,000 in 1997–98
	£21,000 in 1998–99
	£23,000 in 1999–2000
	£108,000 in 2000–01.
	"Accountancy services" is taken to denote services provided by an external firm of accountants or their management consultancy arms if the assignment if connected with financial matters.
	The CPS also uses accountants as expert witnesses in criminal prosecutions. Expenditure over the last four years in this respect has been as follows:
	£46,000 in 1997–98
	£75,000 in 1998–99
	£52,000 in 1999–2000
	£101,000 in 2000–01. Treasury Solicitor's Department
	The Treasury Solicitor's Department has an in-house Finance Team which has responsibility for the expenditure, billing activity and accounting for the Treasury Solicitor's Department Agency, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, residual matters from the closure in September 1999 of the Government Property Lawyer's Agency and, since 1 April 2001, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate. The team has required additional accounting resources during the last few years to deal with the introduction of Resource Accounting and Budgeting; the associated replacement of the accounting computer system; and a substantial increase in the business of the Treasury Solicitor's Department Agency.
	The total costs of the Treasury Solicitor's Department's Finance Team for the last four years are as follows:
	£546,000 in 1997–98
	£645,000 in 1998–99
	£877,000 in 1999–2000
	£1,262,000 in 2000–01
	£726,000 in 2001–02 (up to 31 December 2001).
	These figures include direct staff, agency temporary staff and independent consultants' costs, a new computer system and other direct costs incurred by the Treasury Solicitor's Department Agency. Serious Fraud Office
	The Serious Fraud Office has only incurred accounting costs over the last four years by the use of specific accountancy expertise to support case investigation. There have been no administrative accountancy services other than external/internal audit by the National Audit Office and Inland Revenue respectively.
	The total costs incurred for accountancy work to support cases have been as follows:
	£1,445,472.14 in 1997–98
	£1,477,816.95 in 1998–99
	£872,523.95 in 1999–2000
	£1,207,917.93 in 2000–01
	£1,482,945.64 in 2001–02 (to date).

Entertainment Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list for 1997–98 and for each subsequent financial year, including the current year to date, the amount spent by (a) her Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non- departmental public bodies on (i) food and (ii) alcohol, indicating how much was spent on guests, and how much in respect of (A) Ministers and (B) staff, broken down to show how much was provided directly by her Department and how much reclaimed.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 11 February 2002
	My own Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, spent the following sums in providing hospitality and meeting refreshments in 1997–98 and subsequent financial years:
	Hospitality
	£3,259.79 in 1997–98
	£3,120.70 in 1998–99
	£3,726.64 in 1999–2000
	£4,296.13 in 2000–01
	£2,693.89 in 2001–02
	Meeting Refreshments
	£931.36 in 1997–98
	£317.56 in 1998–99
	£799.59 in 1999–2000
	£1,769.85 in 2000–01
	£377.75 in 2001–02.
	Due to the accounting system used by the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, the cost information provided could not be divided to show the amount spent on food and alcohol, and the amounts spent on guests, Ministers and staff without incurring disproportionate cost. For the same reason information cannot be provided regarding how much of the money spent by the Department was provided directly by the Department and how much was reclaimed.
	Crown Prosecution Service
	In 1997–98 and subsequent financial years the Crown Prosecution Service spent the following sums in providing hospitality:
	£7,819 in 1997–98
	£4,466 in 1998–99
	£4,084 in 1999–2000
	£10,533 in 2000–01
	£18,710 in 2001–02.
	It would not be possible, without incurring disproportionate costs, to identify how much money was spent on food and drink, how much on guests, Ministers and staff, how much money was provided directly by the Department and how much was reclaimed.
	The Department's policy on the provision of hospitality requires that the number of staff at any event must not exceed the number of guests. The thrust of the policy is that CPS representation must be kept to an absolute minimum.
	Expenditure on hospitality is restricted to a maximum of £25 per head for lunch and £35 per head for dinner. These sums are to cover all food and drink.
	The increase in expenditure in the last two years is a consequence of the CPS policy to raise its profile in the community and in the media. Recent initiatives such as Direct Communication to Victims and the Equality and Diversity Action Plan on Race have been publicly launched to the press and invited members of the public and relevant organisations.
	Treasury Solicitor's Department
	In 1997–98 and subsequent financial years the Treasury Solicitor's Department spent the following sums in providing hospitality:
	£4,591.56 in 1997–98
	£4,702.97 in 1998–99
	£5,872.31 in 1999–2000
	£5,965.65 in 2000–01
	£4,598.78 in 2001–02.
	The contract management and financial analysis systems currently in place within the Treasury Solicitor's Department mean that it is not possible to distinguish between money spent on food and alcohol and between guests and others, without incurring disproportionate cost. These systems are being upgraded as part of improvements which commenced some months ago. Most of the improvements should be in place during the course of the financial year 2002–03.
	In relation to agencies and non-departmental public bodies, the Government Property Lawyers spent the following sums in providing hospitality in 1997–98 and subsequent financial years:
	£1,438.35 in 1997–98
	£684.92 in 1998–99
	£7.62 in 1999–2000
	£0 in 2000–01
	£0 in 2001–02.
	The Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate has not incurred any hospitality costs since they became part of the Treasury Solicitor's Department.
	Serious Fraud Office
	In 1997–98 and subsequent financial years the Serious Fraud Office spent the following sums in providing hospitality and meeting refreshments:
	Hospitality
	£7,881.36 in 1997–98
	£6,260.46 in 1998–99
	£6,702.39 in 1999–2000
	£6,035.78 in 2000–01
	£8,555.03 in 2001–02 (to date)
	Meeting Refreshments
	£8,444.81 in 1997–98
	£8,389.30 in 1998–99
	£7,166.21 in 1999–2000
	£6,089.75 in 2001–01
	£7,025.40 in 2001–02 (to date).
	This information could not be divided to show the amount spent on food and alcohol, and the amounts spent on guests, Ministers and staff without incurring disproportionate cost. For the same reason information cannot be provided regarding how much of the money spent was provided directly by the Department and how much was reclaimed.
	The Serious Fraud Office has neither agencies nor non-departmental bodies.

Lost/Stolen Property

John Bercow: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list those items valued at less than £50 each which have been stolen or lost from her Department in each of the last four years.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 11 February 2002
	I am not aware of any items valued at less than £50 being stolen from or lost by the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers during the years 1998–2002.
	The details of the other Departments for which the Attorney General is responsible are as follows:
	Crown Prosecution Service
	No items valued at less than £50 have been recorded as lost or stolen by the Crown Prosecution Service in any of the last four years.
	CPS systems focus on more expensive items and it is not considered cost effective to maintain detailed records of items valued at less than £50. It is possible that such items have been stolen or lost but not reported. Treasury Solicitor's Department
	No items valued at less than £50 have been recorded as lost or stolen by the Treasury Solicitors Department in any of the last four years.
	Serious Fraud Office
	The records regarding losses and thefts of official items from February 1998 to February 2002 have been examined. Up to the end of December 1999 there were no recorded losses or thefts of official items valued at £50 or under. From January 2000 policy was changed so that no records are made of any official items lost or stolen if their value is under £50.

Crown Prosecution Service

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General how many staff, broken down by type, the CPS budget provided for in each CPS region; and how many vacancies there were per type of staff in each year since the inception of the CPS.

Harriet Harman: holding answer 14 February 2002
	A budget to meet basic running costs needs—excluding fixed accommodation costs—is allocated to each CPS area. Its use is not prescribed. Areas are empowered to apportion it between staffing and any other costs in accordance with their judgment of local circumstances. Thus staffing mix can vary from area to area, depending on the local judgments made in each area.
	In their business plans for the 2001–02 financial year completed in March 2001, CPS areas profiled their estimated staffing numbers on a monthly basis. The results for each of the existing staffing groups—Chief Crown Prosecutors, lawyers and administration—are set out in the tables.
	The CPS does not keep historical data on the number of vacancies within the Department. Areas decide the numbers and mix of staff against the budget available to them, rather than against an overall complement figure.
	
		
			 Area April 2001 May 2001 June 2001 July 2001 August 2001 September 2001 October 2001 November 2001 December 2001 January 2002 February 2002 March 2002 
		
		
			  Estimated lawyer staff in post  
			 P01 Avon and Somerset 44.0 44.0 53.0 53.0 53.0 53.0 53.0 53.0 53.0 53.0 53.0 53.0 
			 P02 Bedfordshire 18.0 18.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 20.0 
			 P03 Cambridgeshire 19.0 20.0 21.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 
			 P04 Cheshire 33.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 
			 P06 Cleveland 24.8 26.8 26.8 28.8 30.8 30.8 30.8 30.8 30.8 30.8 30.8 30.8 
			 P07 Cumbria 23.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 23.0 
			 P08 Derbyshire 29.9 29.9 30.9 30.9 30.9 30.9 30.9 30.9 30.9 30.9 30.9 30.9 
			 P09 Devon and Cornwall 37.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 
			 P10 Dorset 16.8 18.8 18.8 18.8 18.8 18.8 18.8 18.8 18.8 18.8 18.8 18.8 
			 P11 Durham 23.1 25.1 25.1 25.1 25.1 25.1 25.1 25.1 25.1 25.1 25.1 25.1 
			 P12 Dyfed/Powys 21.4 21.4 21.4 21.4 21.4 21.4 21.4 21.4 21.4 21.4 21.4 21.4 
			 P13 Essex 39.8 39.8 39.8 39.8 39.8 39.8 39.8 39.8 39.8 39.8 39.8 39.8 
			 P14 Gloucestershire 16.4 15.4 15.4 15.4 15.4 16.4 16.4 16.4 16.4 16.4 16.4 16.4 
			 P15 Greater Manchester 114.1 118.1 126.1 130.7 130.7 130.7 130.7 130.7 130.7 130.7 130.7 130.7 
			 P16 Gwent 23.5 29.5 29.5 29.5 29.5 29.5 29.5 29.5 29.5 29.5 29.5 29.5 
			 P17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 50.0 55.0 55.0 55.0 55.0 60.0 60.0 60.0 60.0 65.0 65.0 65.0 
			 P18 Hertfordshire 26.6 26.6 26.6 25.8 25.8 26.6 26.6 26.6 26.6 27.4 27.4 27.4 
			 P19 Humberside 28.6 30.6 30.6 30.6 30.6 30.6 30.6 30.6 30.6 30.6 30.6 30.6 
			 P20 Kent 44.7 44.7 46.7 46.7 48.7 48.7 50.7 50.7 50.7 50.7 50.7 50.7 
			 70.4P21 Lancashire 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 
			 P22 Leicestershire 28.1 28.1 29.1 34.1 34.1 34.1 34.1 34.1 34.1 34.1 34.1 34.1 
			 P23 Lincolnshire 16.2 18.2 18.2 18.2 18.2 18.2 18.2 18.2 18.2 18.2 18.2 18.2 
			 P24 Merseyside 67.7 68.3 70.3 70.3 71.3 73.3 73.3 73.3 75.3 76.3 76.3 76.3 
			 P25 Metropolitan and City 270.0 270.0 270.0 315.0 315.0 315.0 315.0 315.0 315.0 315.0 315.0 315.0 
			 P26 Norfolk 26.4 26.4 27.4 27.4 27.4 27.4 27.4 27.4 27.4 27.4 27.4 27.4 
			 P27 Northamptonshire 19.8 19.8 19.8 21.8 21.8 21.8 23.8 23.8 23.8 23.8 23.8 23.8 
			 P28 Northumbria 66.9 69.9 71.9 71.9 71.9 71.9 71.9 71.9 71.9 71.9 71.9 71.9 
			 P29 North Wales 22.9 22.4 22.4 22.4 22.4 22.4 22.4 22.4 22.4 22.4 22.4 22.4 
			 P30 North Yorkshire 17.4 17.4 17.4 17.4 17.4 17.4 17.4 17.4 17.4 17.4 17.4 17.4 
			 P31 Nottinghamshire 49.0 49.0 52.0 52. 052.0 52.0 52.0 52.0 52.0 52.0 52.0 52.0 
			 P32 South Wales 60.9 66.9 66.9 66.9 66.9 66.9 66.9 66.9 70.9 70.9 70.9 70.9 
			 P33 South Yorkshire 44.0 49.0 49.0 49.0 51.0 51.0 51.0 51.0 51.0 51.0 51.0 51.0 
			 P34 Staffordshire 36.0 36.0 36.0 38.0 38.0 40.0 40.0 40.0 40.0 40.0 40.0 40.0 
			 P35 Suffolk 18.6 19.6 19.6 19.6 19.6 19.6 19.6 19.6 19.6 19.6 19.6 19.6 
			 P36 Surrey 19.1 19.1 22.1 22.1 22.1 22.1 22.1 22.1 22.1 22.1 22.1 22.1 
			 P37 Sussex 40.0 40.0 42.0 42.0 44.0 44.0 44.0 45.0 45.0 45.0 45.0 45.0 
			 P38 Thames Valley 50.0 51.0 51.0 52.0 53.0 53.0 53.0 53.0 53.0 53.0 53.0 53.0 
			 P39 Warwickshire 11.0 11.0 11.0 11.0 11.0 11.0 11.0 11.0 11.0 11.0 11.0 11.0 
			 P40 West Mercia 31.2 33.2 33.2 33.2 33.2 33.2 33.6 33.6 33.6 33.6 33.6 33.6 
			 P41 West Midlands 112.3 112.3 122.3 124.3 128.3 135.3 140.3 140.3 140.3 140.3 140.3 140.3 
			 P42 West Yorkshire 91.0 91.0 101.0 104.0 104.0 110.0 110.0 110.0 110.0 110.0 110.0 110.0 
			 P43 Wiltshire 18.4 18.4 18.4 18.4 18.4 18.4 18.4 18.4 18.4 18.4 18.4 18.4 
			 Total 1,822 1,870 1,927 1,995 2,009 2,033 2,042 2,043 2,049 2,056 2,056 2,056 
			  
			  Estimated Total Administration and SCS Staff in Post
			 P01 Avon and Somerset 65.0 65.0 71.0 71.0 71.0 71.0 71.0 71.0 71.0 71.0 71.0 71.0 
			 P02 Bedfordshire 30.0 33.0 33.0 35.0 35.0 35.0 33.0 33.0 33.0 33.0 33.0 33.0 
			 P03 Cambridgeshire 30.4 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 38.0 
			 P04 Cheshire 60.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 70.4 
			 P06 Cleveland 48.2 49.2 49.2 53.2 59.2 62.2 62.2 62.2 62.2 62.2 62.2 62.2 
			 P07 Cumbria 33.2 33.2 33.2 33.2 33.2 33.2 33.2 33.2 33.2 33.2 33.2 33.2 
			 P08 Derbyshire 58.1 58.1 59.1 59.1 59.1 59.1 59.1 59.1 59.1 59.1 59.1 59.1 
			 P09 Devon and Cornwall 63.4 68.4 68.4 68.4 68.4 68.4 69.4 69.4 69.4 69.4 69.4 69.4 
			 P10 Dorset 27.6 30.0 30.2 30.2 30.2 30.2 30.2 30.2 30.2 30.2 30.2 30.2 
			 P11 Durham 34.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 37.8 
			 P12 Dyfed/Powys 30.3 31.3 31.3 34.3 34.3 34.3 33.3 33.3 33.3 33.3 33.3 33.3 
			 P13 Essex 68.5 68.5 68.5 68.5 68.5 68.5 67.5 67.5 67.5 67.5 67.5 67.5 
			 P14 Gloucestershire 30.7 30.7 30.7 30.7 30.7 30.7 30.7 30.7 30.7 30.7 30.7 30.7 
			 P15 Greater Manchester 182.7 205.7 229.0 229.0 229.0 229.0 229.0 229.0 229.0 229.0 229.0 229.0 
			 P16 Gwent 46.4 46.4 48.4 47.4 47.4 47.4 47.4 47.4 47.4 47.4 47.4 47.4 
			 P17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 108.0 113.0 116.0 116.0 121.0 126.0 126.0 126.0 136.0 136.0 136.0 136.0 
			 P18 Hertforeshire 42.9 45.9 45.9 45.9 45.9 45.9 45.9 45.9 46.9 46.9 46.9 46.9 
			 P19 Humberside 51.1 51.1 51.1 51.1 51.1 51.1 51.1 51.1 51.1 51.1 51.1 51.1 
			 P20 Kent 77.1 77.1 81.1 81.1 86.1 86.1 87.1 87.1 87.1 87.1 87.1 87.1 
			 P21 Lancashire 124.0 124.0 124.0 124.0 124.0 124.0 124.0 124.0 124.0 124.0 124.0 124.0 
			 P22 Leicestershire 57.7 63.7 66.7 66.7 70.7 70.7 70.7 70.7 70.7 70.7 70.7 70.7 
			 P23 Lincolnshire 24.3 27.3 27.3 27.3 29.3 29.3 29.3 29.3 29.3 29.3 29.3 29.3 
			 P24 Merseyside 126.0 130.0 131.0 132.0 136.0 138.0 138.0 138.0 138.0 138.0 138.0 138.0 
			 P25 Metropolitan and City 635.0 694.0 694.0 759.0 772.0 772.0 772.0 772.0 772.0 772.0 772.0 772.0 
			 P26 Norfolk 39.1 43.1 43.1 43.1 43.1 43.1 44.1 44.1 44.1 44.1 44.1 44.1 
			 P27 Northamptonshire 33.6 33.6 33.6 33.6 33.6 33.6 33.6 33.6 33.6 33.6 33.6 33.6 
			 P28 Northumbria 122.7 128.7 141.7 141.7 141.7 141.7 141.7 141.7 141.7 141.7 141.7 141.7 
			 P29 North Wales 40.6 40.6 40.6 40.6 40.6 40.6 40.6 40.6 40.6 40.6 40.6 40.6 
			 P30 North Yorkshire 26.6 26.6 26.6 26.6 26.6 26.6 26.6 26.6 26.6 26.6 26.6 26.6 
			 P31 Nottinghamshire 92.6 92.6 92.6 96.4 96.4 96.4 96.4 96.4 96.4 96.4 96.4 96.4 
			 P32 South Wales 136.6 142.6 142.6 142.6 142.6 142.6 136.6 136.6 132.6 132.6 132.6 132.6 
			 P33 South Yorkshire 93.0 93.6 95.6 95.6 95.6 95.6 95.6 95.6 95.6 95.6 95.6 95.6 
			 P34 Staffordshire 63.0 65.0 68.0 68.0 68.0 68.0 68.0 69.0 69.0 69.0 69.0 69.0 
			 P35 Suffolk 35.8 41.8 41.8 41.8 41.8 41.8 41.8 41.8 41.8 41.8 41.8 41.8 
			 P36 Surrey 35.0 35.0 40.0 42.0 42.0 42.0 40.0 40.0 40.0 40.0 40.0 40.0 
			 P37 Sussex 59.6 61.6 61.6 63.6 63.6 63.6 65.6 65.6 65.6 65.6 65.6 65.6 
			 P38 Thames Valley 74.4 77.4 78.4 77.4 76.4 77.6 78.6 78.6 78.6 78.6 78.6 78.6 
			 P39 Warwickshire 19.7 19.7 19.7 19.7 19.7 19.7 19.7 19.7 19.7 19.7 19.7 19.7 
			 P40 West Mercia 60.2 60.2 60.2 60.2 60.2 60.2 60.2 60.2 60.2 60.2 60.2 60.2 
			 P41 West Midlands 202.6 202.6 209.5 230.5 240.5 240.5 240.5 240.5 240.5 240.5 240.5 240.5 
			 P42 West Yorkshire 169.7 169.7 183.7 191.7 191.7 191.7 191.7 191.7 191.7 191.7 191.7 191.7 
			 P43 Wiltshire 25.4 25.4 25.4 25.4 25.4 25.4 25.4 25.4 25.4 24.4 24.4 24.4 
			 Total 3,386 3,552 3,640 3,750 3,795 3,809 3,803 3,804 3,811 3,810 3,810 3,810 
			  
			  Estimated Total Chief Crown Prosecutors in post
			 P01 Avon and Somerset 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P02 Bedfordshire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P03 Cambridgeshire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P04 Cheshire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P06 Cleveland 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P07 Cumbria 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.O 1.0 1.O 1.0 
			 P08 Derbyshire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P09 Devon and Cornwall 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P10 Dorset 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P11 Durham 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P12 Dyfed/Powys 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P13 Essex 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P14 Gloucestershire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P15 Greater Manchester 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P16 Gwent 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.O 1.0 1.O 1.0 
			 P18 Hertforeshire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P19 Humberside 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P20 Kent 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P21 Lancashire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P22 Leicestershire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P23 Lincolnshire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P24 Merseyside 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 10 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P25 Metropolitan and City 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 
			 P26 Norfolk 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P27 Northamptonshire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P28 Northumbria 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P29 North Wales 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P30 North Yorkshire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P31 Nottinghamshire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P32 South Wales 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P33 South Yorkshire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P34 Staffordshire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P35 Suffolk 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P36 Surrey 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P37 Sussex 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P38 Thames Valley 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P39 Warwickshire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P40 West Mercia 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P41 West Midlands 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P42 West Yorkshire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 P43 Wiltshire 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
			 Total 45.0 45.0 45.0 45.0 45.0 45.0 45.0 45.0 45.0 45.0 45.0 45.0

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Relocation Companies

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which relocation companies her Department has used when relocating civil servants since May 1997; which relocation companies hold contracts with her Department for the relocation of civil servants; when the contracts were last renewed; where the contracts were advertised; and what the length and value of each contract is.

Patricia Hewitt: Since May 1997 the Department has used only one company and has a contract with only one company for relocating civil servants, Cendant Relocation Services (previously known as Bradford and Bingley Relocation Services and Black Horse Relocation Services). The contract was let in November 1999. The contract was not advertised; six companies were invited to tender. The contract runs until 31 October 2002 (with provision to extend if necessary). Its value at award was £950,000 a year.

Relocation Companies

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many civil servants in her Ministry have used the services of Cendant or its subsidiaries (a) to relocate in London and (b) to be housed in London since May 1997; what the name was of the company employed in each case; and what were the dates on each occasion.

Patricia Hewitt: From April 2000 to March 2002 11 DTI civil servants have used the services of Cendant Relocation Services to relocate to and to be housed in London or within a reasonable travelling distance of London. The relocations were initiated on: 23 May 2000, 2 June 2000, 17 August 2000, 27 July 2000, 19 January 2001, 30 January 2001, 22 May 2001, 4 September 2001, 19 October 2001, 2 January 2002 and 7 March 2002.
	Prior to April 2000 DTI did not record data on relocation by location from other data on staff relocations. To provide the information requested from May 1997 to March 2000 would entail disproportionate cost.

Catering Services

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of (a) in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by her Department in each of the last four years.

Patricia Hewitt: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 1997–98 247 
			 1998–99 236 
			 1999–2000 246 
			 2000–01 101 
		
	
	For 2001–02 and subsequent years no costs will be incurred.

Gender Pay Gap

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the extent of the gender pay gap among staff in her Department.

Patricia Hewitt: My Department is in the process of undertaking an audit of our pay system. In line with the commitment on all Government Departments and agencies, we will put in place by April 2003 an action plan to close any equal pay gaps that emerge.

Gender Pay Gap

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average gap was between men's and women's pay in (a) Glasgow, Pollok constituency and (b) Glasgow in 2001.

Alan Johnson: Estimates for the Parliamentary Constituency of Glasgow, Pollok are not available. According to the 2001 New Earnings Survey, conducted by the Office for National Statistics, average hourly pay for full-time employees, excluding overtime, in the Glasgow City Unitary Authority, was £11.27 for men and £9.06 for women, a pay gap of £2.21.

Gender Pay Gap

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average gap was between men's and women's pay in Finchley and Golders Green constituency in 2001.

Alan Johnson: Estimates for the Parliamentary Constituency of Finchley and Golders Green are not available. According to the 2001 New Earnings Survey, conducted by the Office for National Statistics, average hourly pay for full-time employees, excluding overtime, in the London Government Office Region, was £16.83 for men and £13.00 for women, a pay gap of £3.83.

Job Sharing

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the extent of job sharing in her Department.

Patricia Hewitt: My Department promotes flexible working, including job sharing, in its personnel systems. Unless there are fully justifiable business requirements to prevent it, which is rare, all jobs are advertised as being available on a part-time, job share/split and full-time basis.

Relocation Expenses

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is on the payment of relocation expenses to staff in her Department.

Patricia Hewitt: The Department acts as a responsible employer when requiring a member of staff to relocate. Assistance is offered if either the mobility obligation is enforced or if permanent and compulsory terms are offered and relocation is cost-effective compared with alternatives. The principle underlying the Department's policy is that reasonable additional costs necessarily incurred in relocation will be reimbursed, though this should not result in the betterment of an individual's circumstances.

Accommodation Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of hotel accommodation for departmental staff working away from home in each of the last four years.

Patricia Hewitt: The cost of UK hotel accommodation, booked by staff through the departmental hotel booking agents during each of the last four financial years are:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 April 1998 to March 1999 826,662 
			 April 1999 to March 2000 779,384 
			 April 2000 to March 2001 928,242 
			 April 2001 to January 2002 853,200

Small Business Service

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made in finding a replacement for the Chief Executive of the Small Business Service.

Nigel Griffiths: On 6 February my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry announced a new Chief Executive for the Small Business Service, Martin Wyn Griffith.

Post Office

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost of the Horizon project was broken down by (a) cancellation payments and (b) others costs; and from which accounts of the Government and their agencies those costs were met.

Douglas Alexander: The total cost to Consignia of the Horizon project to automate the whole of the Post Office network was £1 billion. No cancellation payments have been made. £480 million of the project costs were funded from cash investments held by Consignia and previously earmarked for surrender to the Treasury. Wider background to the Horizon project is provided in the reports of the Committee of Public Accounts and of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the cancellation of the Benefit Payment Card project.

Post Office

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  when she expects the review of the future of the Crown office at Barras Bridge, Newcastle to be completed;
	(2)  how many sorting offices are located in (a) Northumberland, (b) Tyne and Wear, (c) Durham and (d) Cleveland which are open at weekends; and what proposals there are for changes in (a) the number of sorting offices and (b) weekend opening.

Douglas Alexander: This is a matter that falls within the day to day responsibility of Consignia and I have therefore asked the chief executive to reply direct to my hon. Friend.

Trailblazing Sector

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the meetings she has had with representatives from the trailblazing sector skills council.

Patricia Hewitt: I have had no such meetings.

BAE, Filton

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will investigate the situation at BAE, Filton with particular reference to (a) the operation of the Rapid Response Fund and other training grants and (b) the role of the South West Regional Development Agency in their delivery.

Alan Johnson: There is no Rapid Response Fund awarded to BAE Systems at Filton as no large scale redundancy has taken place at this location. The RDA does not provide training grants.

Polyurethane

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations have been made to the European Commission in respect of dumping of polyurethane film products.

Patricia Hewitt: My Department has not received any representations about the dumping of polyurethane products. Any representations to the European Commission in respect of anti-dumping complaints are confidential until an investigation is opened.

Miners' Compensation

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims have been lodged by former miners for (a) Vibration White Finger and (b) respiratory diseases in Galloway and Upper Nithsdale constituency.

Brian Wilson: Claims for Vibration White Finger (VWF), and respiratory disease have been registered in Galloway and Upper Nithsdale as follows:
	
		
			  Number of claims in Galloway and Upper Nithsdale constituency 
		
		
			 VWF 129 
			 Respiratory disease 191 
		
	
	These statistics are available on the Department's website at www.dti.gov.uk/coalhealth.

Miners' Compensation

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 1 February 2002, Official Report, column 615W, on miners' compensation, what progress has been made on deciding how to progress former mineworkers' claims for compensation for respiratory disease from those in (a) safety, (b) salvage, (c) mine rescue, (d) under managers and (e) Group 3 employment.

Brian Wilson: The Department and the claimants' solicitors representatives have recently agreed the terms on which safety officers and under managers—who were not originally incorporated within the claims handling agreement—may be compensated for respiratory disease. They have also agreed that claims from mines rescue workers and assistant area salvage reclamations managers may be referred to the Dust Reference Panel on a case by case basis, for a decision on the terms on which they may be compensated. Group 3 employment relates to claims for Vibration White Finger, not for respiratory disease.

Miners' Compensation

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of reports prepared by Healthcall in 2001 on former mineworkers' compensation claims for respiratory disease were (a) returned by the claim handlers and (b) returned by solicitors representing claimants, identifying errors.

Brian Wilson: Medical reports are returned by IRISC, the Department's claims handlers, or the claimant's solicitor either to seek further clarification or to identify clerical errors. In 2001, Healthcall, the company contracted to undertake the delivery of the Medical Assessment Process, MAP, completed and passed 44,341 MAP reports to IRISC. Of this number, 5,011 reports (11 per cent.) were returned by IRISC and 2,701 reports (6 per cent.) were returned by solicitors. In both cases, the issues raised related mainly to clarification of points.

Miners' Compensation

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 1 February 2002, Official Report, column 615W, on miners' compensation, what policy has been agreed for handling claims for compensation for respiratory disease by or on behalf of the families of former mineworkers who have received payments for pneumoconiosis previously.

Brian Wilson: If a claimant has received payments through the Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis Scheme (CWPS) set up in 1974 and is claiming for simple pneumoconiosis in conjunction with COPD, the claim can be processed in accordance with the handling agreement.

Miners' Compensation

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 1 February 2002, Official Report, column 615W, on miners' compensation, what policy has been agreed for handling industrial injury compensation claims on behalf of the families of former mineworkers who died before 1983.

Brian Wilson: A separate method of assessment is required for those deceased claimants who died prior to 1 January 1983 to reflect the law prior to that date. Under the previous law, a miner's claim for the years that he lost due to respiratory disease and his loss of expectation of life passed on to the estate as part of the claim under the Law Reform Act (LRA) 1934. The compensation paid to the beneficiary of that claim would be deducted from any entitlement that the beneficiary has to a dependency claim under the Fatal Accidents Act (FAA) 1976.
	It has been agreed with the claimants' solicitors that these claims will be dealt with in the following manner:
	1. Where there is a surviving widow, she will receive the higher sum of either the LRA or FAA claim;
	2. Where the miner leaves a widow who subsequently dies, her estate will receive her dependency entitlement in the period up to her death without any offset for the LRA claim;
	3. Where a miner leaves a surviving dependent other than a widow, as classified by the FAA, there will be an individual assessment of the claim in accordance with common law principles for pre-1983 deceased cases.

Natural Gas

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the projected balance of trade in natural gas is for (a) this year and (b) each of the next five years.

Brian Wilson: The latest official data available are for the year 2001. Provisional data published recently on the DTI Energy Statistics website show that the UK was a net exporter of gas to the order of 107,771 Gigawatt hours, equivalent to 8.7 per cent. of gross UK production of 1,233,754 Gigawatt hours.
	Whether and to what extent there will be net exports of gas from the UK over the next five years will depend on the balance between UK supply and demand. Demand is subject to a number of factors, including weather conditions and the relative price of gas and other sources of energy, none of which is easy to forecast. Gas production from the UK continental shelf is currently projected to peak in the next few years, but it is not possible to predict precisely when UK supply will fall short of UK demand. However, on present evidence, on an annual basis the UK is likely to become a net importer of gas in or soon after 2005.

BNFL

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 14 February 2002, Official Report, column 523W, on BNFL, when she estimates that the chief executive of BNFL will send the letter promised.

Brian Wilson: I understand the chief executive has now written.

BNFL

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what date work began in her Department on the proposals relating to the liabilities of BNFL announced on 28 November; and on what date they were first considered by Ministers.

Brian Wilson: Since the announcement of a possible PPP on 13 July 1999, the Department has been working closely with BNFL on all aspects of its business, including liabilities management. This work, and that carried out under the auspices of the UKAEA Quinquennial Review between April 2000 and August 2001, resulted in the proposals outlined on 28 November. Ministers were given regular reports on the work as it progressed.

Local Loops

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of BT local loops that will have been unbundled by 31 July.

Douglas Alexander: The regulatory framework for local loop unbundling is now in place. It is not possible to estimate how many loops will be unbundled by 31 July as this is dependent on operators' own commercial rollout plans.

Public Bodies

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people from Warrington, North she has appointed to non-departmental public bodies since 1997.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 5 March 2002
	Information on the town in which individuals appointed to public bodies live is not recorded centrally and it is therefore not possible to give the details requested.

Renewable Energy

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to upgrade the capacity of the National Grid to enable further development of renewable energy in the Scottish Highlands; and if he will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: I published on 13 February a preliminary feasibility study, undertaken for my Department by PB Power Ltd., of the concept of a subsea electricity interconnector along the western seaboard of the United Kingdom. This initial study sustains the validity of the concept while being realistic about the costs and difficulties.
	In partnership with the Scottish companies, the National Grid Company and the regulator, the Government intend to move forward to a more detailed and comprehensive study on options for the development of the transmission system within Scotland and from Scotland to the rest of the United Kingdom. I expect conclusions and firm recommendations on the way forward to be available within six months. Whatever we do will extend to the north and west of Scotland, including the islands.

Parliamentary Questions

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she intends to provide an answer to the question from the hon. Member for Isle of Wight of 9 January 2002, Ref 25387.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 13 February 2002
	I replied to the hon. Member on 13 February 2002, Official Report, column 440W.

Export Contracts

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the proportion of companies exporting goods and services which have lost export contracts owing to language difficulties in each of the last five years for which the Government hold data; and if she will list the lost contracts.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 27 February 2002
	The DTI has been closely involved with a series of studies, both on its own behalf and in collaboration with other agencies, such as the Languages National Training Organisation, with a view to measuring the impact of language skills on export companies. These studies took place in 1997, 1999 and with the LNTO in 2001 and 2002. Details of lost contracts are not held on an individual company basis, though the number of exporting companies explicitly stating they had lost business due to language barriers varies from 5 per cent. to 21.6 per cent. The results in respect of lost business for each report are as follow:
	National Languages for Export Campaign (Language Studies)
	1997 = 5 per cent.
	1997 = 7 per cent.
	Sample size—500 UK companies
	Languages National Training Organisation (Regional Language Skills Capacity Audits)
	North East 2000 = 19 per cent.
	West Midlands 2001 = 21.6 per cent.
	Yorkshire and Humberside 2001 = 20 per cent.
	Note:
	Executive Summaries of the LNTO studies are published on the LNTO website: www.languagesnto.org.uk/index.php

Rental Cost Indices

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the rental cost indices were for each nation and region of the UK where the GB level is used as the base figure in each of the last five years.

Patricia Hewitt: It is not clear to what the hon. Member refers. If he would like to write to me in detail I will consider the points he raises.

LNM Holdings

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions her Department has held with LNM Holdings on the possible imposition of tariffs on overseas steel imports by the US Government.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 28 February 2002
	The Department has not had any discussions with LNM Holdings regarding this issue.

Space Satellites

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what space satellites that the UK is involved in operating and funding are used for (a) weather, (b) astronomy, (c) spying and (d) other purposes;
	(2)  how many space satellites the UK (a) owns and (b) jointly runs and funds; and with whom the joint agreements are.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government's civil space activities are co-ordinated through the British National Space Centre, an interdepartmental body which is situated in my Department. Details of the civil operational satellites, which the Government have contributed to, are listed in the following table.
	
		List of operational satellites which the UK Government were involved in funding and/or are involved in operating in whole or in part
		
			  Satellite Launch year  Category  Operator(s)  Funding  Ownership 
		
		
			 ECS-4 1987 Communications ESA Through ESA subscription ESA 
			 Meteosat-5 1991 Meteorological EUMETSAT Jointly funded with the other member states of EUMETSAT EUMETSAT 
			 Meteosat-6 1993 Meteorological EUMETSAT Jointly funded with the other member states of EUMETSAT EUMETSAT 
			 Hubble space telescope 1990 Astronomy NASA Through ESA subscription and NASA NASA 
			 Ulysses 1990 Solar system science ESA/NASA Through ESA subscription and NASA NASA 
			 ERS-1 1991 Earth observation/remote sensing ESA Jointly funded with ESA and its member states ESA 
			 ERS-2 1995 Earth observation/remote sensing ESA Jointly funded with ESA and its member states ESA 
			 SOHO 1995 Solar system science NASA Through ESA subscription ESA 
			 Meteosat-7 1997 Meteorological EUMETSAT Jointly funded with the other member states of EUMETSAT EUMETSAT 
			 Huygens 1997 Solar system science ESA Through ESA subscription ESA 
			 XMM-Newton 1999 Astronomy ESA Through ESA subscription ESA 
			 Cluster 2000 Solar system science ESA Through ESA subscription ESA 
			 Artemis 2001 Communications ESA Jointly funded with ESA (and its member states) and Japan ESA 
			 Envisat 2002 Earth observation/remote sensing ESA Jointly funded with ESA and its member states ESA 
		
	
	
		List of future satellites which the UK Government have made a commitment to fund or operate in whole or in part
		
			  Satellite Launch year  Category  Operator(s)  Funding  Ownership 
		
		
			 Integral 2002 Astronomy ESA Through ESA funding ESA 
			 MSG-1(4) 2002 Meteorological EUMETSAT Shared funding with ESA (and its member states) and EUMETSAT EUMETSAT 
			 SMART-1 2002 Technology demonstrator/solar system science ESA Shared funding with ESA and its member states ESA 
			 Rosetta 2003 Solar system science ESA Through ESA subscription ESA 
			 EGNOS 2003 Navigation ESA Shared funding with ESA and its member states ESA 
			 Mars Express(5) 2003 Solar system science ESA Through ESA subscription ESA 
			 Cryosat 2004 Earth observation/remote sensing ESA Shared funding with ESA and its member states ESA 
			 METOP-1(4) 2005 Meteorological EUMETSAT Shared funding with ESA (and its member states) and EUMETSAT EUMETSAT 
			 UK disaster monitoring satellite 2003 Earth observation/remote sensing Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. Joint operation with Algeria's Centre National Des Techniques Spatiales, Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, and other potential overseas collaborating partners Shared funding with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd., ESYS, Algeria's Centre National Des Techniques Spatiales, Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, and other potential overseas collaborating partners Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. 
			 Gemini 2004 Geostationary satellite communications demonstrator Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. Operating agreement with Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Science and Technology Shared funding with SSTL and Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Science and Technology Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. 
			 TopSat 2004 Earth observation/remote sensing (high resolution imagery demonstrator) QinetiQ Ltd./Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. UK Government funding ESA 
			 GOCE 2004 Earth observation/remote sensing ESA Shared funding with ESA and its member states ESA 
			 SMOS 2006 Earth observation/remote sensing ESA Shared funding with ESA and its member states ESA 
			 ADM 2006 Earth observation/remote sensing ESA Shared funding with ESA and its member states ESA 
			 SMOS 2005 Earth observation/remote sensing ESA Shared funding with ESA and its member states ESA 
			 Herschel 2007 Astronomy ESA Through ESA subscription ESA 
			 Plank 2007 Astronomy ESA Through ESA subscription ESA 
		
	
	(4) Series of 3
	(5) Including UK-led lander
	The Government also fund instruments to be flown on satellites owned by others—for example the NASA swift and stereo missions. The procurement and operation of satellites for military communications is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.In addition, licences have been granted to UK companies—for example, Inmarsat, ICO, Surrey Satellite Technology and Europe*Star—to operate particular satellites. Details of these satellites can be found on the regulatory affairs section of the British National Space Centre's website http://www.bnsc.gov.uk/.

Wind Farms

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many wind farms there are in the UK; and how many are (a) offshore and (b) on land.

Brian Wilson: My reply is based on the best available information, but this may not be wholly accurate, up-to- date or comprehensive. Excluding very small projects (below 50 Kw installed capacity), the Department is aware of 113 wind farms currently operational in the UK, only one of which is based offshore.
	Details of most of these projects were given in my reply of 26 November 2001 to the hon. Member for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale (Mr. Duncan), Official Report, columns 671–74W.
	In addition, the following wind farms have been added to our records since my earlier reply:
	England
	Out Newton, Southfield Farm, Hull, Humberside
	Hedley Hope, Bishop Auckland, County Durham
	Tow Law, Crook, County Durham
	Wales
	Cemmaes B. Windfarm, Cemmaes, Machynlleth, Powys
	Scotland
	Beinn-An-Tuirc, Near Carradale, Mull of Kintyre
	Cnoc Donn Arnicle, Near Carradale, Mull of Kintyre
	Deucheran Hill, Kintyre, Argyll
	Bu Farm, Rothiesholm, Stronsay, Orkney
	Myres Hill, South of Eaglesham, Galloway
	Sainsbury's Distribution Depot, Langlands Park, East Kilbride.
	The wind farm off the coast at Blyth, Northumberland is the only UK wind farm currently based offshore. Between now and 2004, the Government are making available up to £74 million for capital grants for the emerging UK offshore wind industry, in addition to the substantial support for renewable energy generally provided through the Renewables Obligation.

Correspondence

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer of 14 February 2002, Official Report, column 518W, how many letters her Department received in November 2001; and of these how many are still awaiting a reply.

Patricia Hewitt: My Department received 1,720 letters in November 2001 of which 21 replies are still outstanding.

Computer Ownership

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what information she has collated on figures for the ratio of computer ownership per household in (a) the USA, (b) France, (c) Germany, (d) Japan and (e) the UK;
	(2)  if she will publish figures for the ratio of computer ownership per household.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Mr. David Drew, dated 11 March 2002
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent questions regarding information on computer ownership per household. I am replying in his absence. (33433, 33339)
	Our latest estimate for 2001 is that 49 per cent. of households in the UK had a home computer. This is an increase from 44 per cent. in 2000 when the comparable figures for other countries were: USA and Japan 51 per cent., France 27 per cent. and Germany 32 per cent.

Engineering Industry

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what response she has made to the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council document measuring the mathematics problem, with specific reference to levels of skills in basic mathematics and preparation for mathematics based degree courses.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 4 March 2002
	I have been asked to reply.
	The Secretary of State has not been formally presented with this report. However, Ministers are currently considering the issues set out in the report.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Television Licence Fee

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when regulations will be laid to bring into effect the television licence fee increases due to come into force on 1 April.

Tessa Jowell: On 23 November 2001, Official Report, column 531W, the Government announced that, from 1 April 2002, the fee for a colour television licence would rise to £112 and the black and white licence fee to £37.50. I have today laid before the House the regulations necessary to bring these new fees into force.

Gaming and Lotteries (Fees)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to amend the fees for gaming and lotteries.

Richard Caborn: I have today laid before the House two Orders under the Gaming Act 1968 and one under each of the Lotteries and Amusements Act 1976, and the Gaming (Bingo) Act 1985.
	The Gaming Board and the Government review gaming fees and the fees for society and local authority lotteries every year. The amended fees in the four Orders are based upon estimates by the Gaming Board of the cost of each service and demand for it during the financial year 2002–03.
	We have set the fees at these levels in order to ensure that they recoup the estimated costs of ensuring the proper regulation of the commercial gaming industry and society lotteries during the year. The four Orders will bring revised fees into effect from 1 April 2002. The following table sets out the current and the new levels of all the fees.
	
		£ 
		
			 Fee Level of fee in 2001–02 Level of fee in 2002–03 
		
		
			 Employee's certificate(6) 145 160 
			
			 Gaming machine supplier licence(7)   
			 New 5,623 5,800 
			 Renewal 3,753 3,970 
			
			 Casino licences   
			 Grant 26,349 28,915 
			 Renewal 7,325 7,950 
			 Transfer 5,898 7,665 
			 Consent application 6,810 8,000 
			 Consent transfer 3,405 5,000 
			
			 Bingo licences   
			 Grant 2,940 3,800 
			 Renewal 1,357 1,450 
			 Transfer 1,030 1,545 
			 Consent application 3,260 7,500 
			 Consent transfer 2,630 5,000 
			
			 National Bingo Game   
			 New 150,168 167,000 
			 Renewal 144,576 160,000 
			
			 Lotteries   
			  Gaming Board fee per lottery raising: 
			 £200,000 or more 404 435 
			 £50,000 to £199,999 263 290 
			 £20,000 to £49,999 86 100 
			 £10,000 to £19,999 86 100 
			 Less than £10,000 82 100 
			
			 Registration fee(8) 3,840 4,600 
			
			 Registration renewal fee 142 180 
			 Lottery manager 5,470 14,220 
			 Inspection of lottery returns 5 10 
			
			 Registered club fees   
			 Part II registration:   
			 New 235 235 
			 Renewal 118 120 
			
			 Part III registration:   
			 New 115 115 
			 Renewal 69 70 
		
	
	(6) Section 19, Gaming Act 1968
	(7) s.27, Gaming Act 1968
	(8) For society and local authority lotteries

Gambling Controls

John MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the independent review of the gambling controls in Great Britain on (a) jobs, (b) businesses and (c) Government revenue.

Richard Caborn: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to him on 6 March 2002, Official Report, column 345W.

PRIME MINISTER

Rail Journeys (Staff)

John Bercow: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy that rail journeys undertaken by staff in his Office should ordinarily be on standard class tickets.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office on 6 March 2002, Official Report, column 421W.

Accommodation Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Prime Minister what the cost was of hotel accommodation for his Office's staff working away from home in each of the last four years.

Tony Blair: Information on the total travel and accommodation costs is included in the detailed list of Cabinet Ministers' visits overseas and information on expenditure by all Ministers on travel overseas. Lists of overseas visits undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing more than £500 during the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 2001 were placed in the Library of the House and published in the Official Report on 17 June 1999, columns 196–97W; on 28 July 2000, column 969W; and on 20 July 2001, column 467W. The list for the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 will be published as soon as possible after the end of the current financial year.
	Information on the cost of other hotel accommodation is not held centrally.

Golden Jubilee

Bob Russell: To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has received for the award of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal from those who are to be excluded; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I have received representations on this matter.
	The medal will be issued to members of the armed forces and Royal Fleet Auxiliary and the '999' emergency services who completed a minimum of five years' reckonable service on 6 February 2002—the 50th anniversary of the Queens Accession.

Waste

David Lidington: To ask the Prime Minister when the Performance and Innovation Unit will (a) complete and (b) publish its report on waste policy.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Hastings and Rye (Mr. Foster) on 21 November 2001, Official Report, column 337W.

Steel Industry

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions took place on the subject of the proposed steel works in Romania between Mr. Jonathan Powell and HM Ambassador to Romania prior to the ambassador's advice to the Government to write a letter in support of Mr. Mittal's bid.

Tony Blair: None.

Gibraltar

Bob Spink: To ask the Prime Minister if he will visit Gibraltar to gauge the opinions of the people of Gibraltar on the question of British sovereignty.

Tony Blair: The Government stand by the commitment set out in the preamble to the 1969 Gibraltar Constitution that we will not enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar will pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes. Any proposals emerging from the Brussels process would be implemented only in the event of an affirmative vote by the people of Gibraltar in a referendum.

BP Signing Ceremony

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister who (a) organised and (b) proposed the signing ceremony at 10 Downing street involving BP on 18 November 1997.

Tony Blair: As was stated in the Lobby briefing on 18 November 1997, I witnessed the BP signing ceremony between the Chief Executive John Browne and the Chief Executive of Omexim Bank, Vladmir Potanin and Victor Ott the Russian First Deputy Minister of Fuel and Energy at Downing street.

Parliamentary Debates

Andrew Turner: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions he has spoken in the House, other than in statements or questions, and for how long, in each year since May 1997.

Tony Blair: It is long-standing convention that the Prime Minister answers weekly questions in the House. Since 1997 I have spent 75 hours in the House answering questions. I have also made 42 statements.
	In addition, I have made speeches on the elections of the Speaker in 1997 and 2000, Official Report, 7 May 1997 and 23 October 2000; Debates on the Address, Official Report, 14 May 1997, 24 November 1998, 17 November 1999, 6 December 2000 and 20 June 2001; the Humble Address: Hundredth Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Official Report, 11 July 2000; the Opposition Day on Parliament and the Executive, Official Report, 13 July 2000; and the Retirement of Madam Speaker, Official Report, 26 July 2000.

Zimbabwe

Graham Brady: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral statement on the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting of 6 March 2002, Official Report, column 291, if he will make a statement on the outcome of his discussions regarding the exclusion of Zimbabwe from the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Tony Blair: Arrangements for the Games, including participation, are the responsibility of the Commonwealth Games Federation. We are not aware of any discussions having taken place regarding the exclusion of Zimbabwe from the 2002 Commonwealth Games but will keep the situation under review.
	As I made clear in my statement last week, the Presidents of South Africa and Nigeria, and the Prime Minister of Australia, will be considering what action to take on Zimbabwe in the light of the findings of the Commonwealth observer team currently monitoring Zimbabwe's Presidential election. Should the Commonwealth, on the basis of these findings, decide Zimbabwe should be suspended from the organisation, Zimbabwe would become ineligible to compete in the Games.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Press and Public Relations

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the annual budget for communications activities, including press, public relations, marketing and internal communications, was for her Department for each financial year from 1997–98 to 2001–02.

Clare Short: Our budget for press office costs over the last three years has been as follows.
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 1999–2000 149 
			 2000–01 117 
			 2001–02 (9)132 
		
	
	(9) to date
	Figures for the previous two years are not readily accessible. We do not hold separate budgets for public relations or marketing. We have an overall programme of public information work, which forms part of our effort to raise awareness and understanding of international development issues in the UK. Spending under this programme in the last five years has been as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 1997–98 407 
			 1998–99 683 
			 1999–2000 880 
			 2000–01 1,487 
			 2001–02 (10)1,264 
		
	
	(10) to date
	Internal communications work is also, by its nature, spread across a wide range of activities and functions. However our core central system in this regard is our intranet. The annual budget for this, as well as for our wider knowledge sharing work, is expected to be around £150,000.

Child Labour

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the International Labour Organisation on child labour; and which issues were discussed.

Clare Short: Officials from my Department are in regular contact with the ILO as part of our Partnership Framework arrangement. Child labour is an important element of our partnership. Issues discussed recently have included our support to the ILO's International Programme for the elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) and its activities in south-east Asia, India and Bangladesh.

Education

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on international educational developments since the Dakar Conference, with particular reference to the completion of national educational development programmes and progress towards universal primary education.

Clare Short: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Vernon Coaker) on 6 March 2002, Official Report, column 334W.

Israel

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which DFID-funded projects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been damaged by Israeli retaliatory attacks; what the damage incurred was; and what was the value of the damage sustained.

Clare Short: The conflict and closures have had a major impact on all development projects. The only direct damage to a DFID funded project of which we are aware from Israeli military activity has been to a community centre in Rafah, part of a water and sanitation project funded through Save the Children Fund. The final cost has not yet been confirmed. 60 houses have also been damaged in Rafah, affecting 100 potential project beneficiaries.

Israel

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what success the DFID- funded water and sanitation projects in (a) Rafah, (b) Tabalra, (c) Dura and (d) Arabia have had in improving water supplies to the Palestinians of the Occupied Territories.

Clare Short: The project in Rafah has led to improvements in both the quality and quantity of water. Sanitary standards have also increased as the majority of households are now connected to a new sewage network. But Rafah is a target for the Israeli military. This has disrupted project implementation.
	The establishment of a water network and communal cisterns, and the rehabilitation of springs have increased the quality and volume of water in Dura. At least 75 per cent. of households are connected to the new sewage network. Access and mobility are easier in Dura, but the Israeli port authorities have embargoed important water meters.
	Significant progress in both water and sanitation has also been made in Anabta and Jabalia, the two other towns covered by the project. We do not have any activities in Arabia or Tabalra.

Israel

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with the EU with a view to calling for reparations from Israel for the destruction of and damage to the European-financed development projects in Gaza and the West Bank at (a) the Gaza International Airport, (b) the Office of the Palestinian Statistical System and (c) the Voice of Palestine Radio Station in Ramallah.

Clare Short: The Presidency, with full UK support, has conveyed the EU's grave concern to the Israeli Government. It has been made clear that we view the damage and destruction of all EU-financed development projects in the Palestinian Territories to be out of proportion to any military, security, or political needs. Financial compensation may be sought. A provisional assessment has been made of the affected projects. It has been emphasised that this is not simply an accounting exercise to form the basis of a financial claim; such actions are counter-productive and perpetuate the cycle of violence.

Sexual and Reproductive Health

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what account is taken of the religious and cultural values of people in developing countries before her Department funds organisations providing sexual and reproductive health assistance.

Clare Short: My Department recognises that sexual and reproductive health programmes must honour the principles of freedom of choice agreed at the UN conference in Cairo and will only be successful if full account is taken of the religious and cultural values of those the programmes are intended to help. We only work with organisations that also recognise this approach.

Rail Journeys (Staff)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy that rail journeys undertaken by staff in her Department should ordinarily be on standard class tickets.

Clare Short: Our policy on rail travel has been in place for many years and is derived from guidance which applied across the civil service. It has served us well but we propose to review it to define more clearly that the class of travel should be determined by business need not the grade of the traveller.

Tanzania

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the impact on the development of Tanzania of the terms of the loan provided by Barclays bank to fund the purchase of the air traffic control system for Tanzania; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: The IMF and the World Bank have conducted assessments of the impact on the development of Tanzania of the air traffic control purchase. This has included examining both the terms of the loan from Barclays bank and the value for money of the proposed purchase.

Tanzania

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether she has made an assessment of the bidding process conducted by the Tanzanian Government to select a supplier of an air traffic control system; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: DFID has not made an assessment of the bidding process conducted by the Tanzanian Government to select a supplier of an air traffic control system.

Tanzania

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether she has had discussions with representatives of Barclays bank concerning the provision of a loan to the Tanzanian Government for the purchase of an air traffic control system from BAE; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: Neither I nor officials from my Department have had discussions with representatives of Barclays bank concerning a loan to the Government of Tanzania to buy an air traffic control system from BAE.

India

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which projects are funded in India by her Department; and what the cost is of each project.

Clare Short: My Department is funding around 100 development projects in India with a total commitment of about £1.2 billion. We expect our bilateral assistance to India in the current financial year to total £170 million. Our programme of development assistance in India is aimed at the elimination of poverty principally through partnership with government at both national and state levels.
	A copy of our Country Strategy Paper for India is available in the Library of the House, further information is also available in Statistics on International Development which is also in the Library.

Zimbabwe

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans her Department has made for supporting the reconstruction of Zimbabwe in the immediate aftermath of the presidential elections in the event of President Mugabe losing the election.

Clare Short: The UK is working closely with key stakeholders and the international community to ensure support of any Government committed to reform and the pursuit of sound economic policies and the reduction of poverty in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent meetings officials in her Department have had with representatives of Southern African Development Community regarding the reconstruction of Zimbabwe.

Clare Short: Our contacts with SADC member states over Zimbabwe have included discussions on the need for future external support for reform, sound economic policies and poverty reduction.

Afghanistan

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to achieve an expansion of the mine action programme in Afghanistan.

Clare Short: We have been supporting mine clearance in Afghanistan for many years. We have allocated £3 million through the United Nations Afghanistan Emergency Trust Fund for future humanitarian mine action interventions. This will cover mine clearance operations in Afghanistan, such as training, clearance of cluster bombs and other unexploded ordnance (UXO) and mines awareness activities. In addition we have provided £150,000 for the cost of two dedicated airlifts of demining equipment for the HALO Trust to begin demining operations.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Entertainment Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list for 1997–98 and each subsequent financial year the amount spent by (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies in respect of hotel and other similar privately provided accommodation (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad for (A) Ministers, (B) staff and (C) other persons; if he will list the proportion of this cost incurred in respect of (x) food and (y) alcohol in each case; and if he will list the average cost per hotel room or similar unit of accommodation provided in each case.

Denis MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office on 14 February 2002, Official Report, columns 559–60W.

Working Conditions and Practices

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people are employed in his Department on a job-share contract; and what percentage of vacant positions was advertised on this basis in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: 44 people are currently employed on job-share contracts. 45 per cent. of positions were advertised externally as potential job-shares in 2001. Job-sharing is only one of a number of alternative and flexible working patterns in use at present. We currently have 92 part-time workers and 13 employees working compressed hours. Other arrangements include staggered hours, flexi-time, home working, school working hours, term time working and time off in lieu.

Lord Levy

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the access of Lord Levy to departmental papers differs from that of Ministers.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Lord Levy sees papers and official documents required for his role as Prime Minister's envoy. Ministers see papers and official documents required for their role as Ministers.

Lord Levy

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the role of Lord Levy in his Department.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Lord Levy acts and travels as the Prime Minister's envoy as required. He reports to the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary.

Lord Levy

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will name the countries visited by Lord Levy in his capacity as a special envoy of the British Government.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 28 February 2002
	As the Prime Minister's envoy, Lord Levy has visited Mexico, Venezuela, Uruguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Oman, Bahrain, Tunisia, Qatar, Egypt and Morocco. He has also had discussions about the middle east peace process in France, Germany and the USA.

Lord Levy

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will name the overseas Governments with which Lord Levy has undertaken business on behalf of the Government.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 28 February 2002
	As the Prime Minister's envoy, Lord Levy has had discussions with the Governments of Mexico, Venezuela, Uruguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, Israel, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Bahrain, Tunisia, Qatar, Egypt, Morocco and the Palestinian Authority as well of course with our other close allies.

Lord Levy

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the accommodation and staff assigned to Lord Levy within his Department.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Lord Levy has an office in the FCO main building in London. He receives assistance from FCO officials as required in support of his role as the Prime Minister's envoy.

Indonesia

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will use the forthcoming session of the UNHCR to call for Indonesia's Law on Human Rights Courts to be amended so that it is consistent with international standards;
	(2)  if he will raise at the forthcoming session of the UN Commission on Human Rights the issue of the human rights situation in Indonesia with particular reference to (a) extra judicial killings, (b) disappearances, (c) torture and (d) unlawful detention in Aceh and Papua.

Ben Bradshaw: We are discussing with EU partners what, if any, action to take on Indonesia at the forthcoming session of the UN Commission on Human Rights. Indonesia is likely to be included in the EU Omnibus Country Statement on Human Rights in any part of the world. And, as in recent years, the EU is planning to table a Chairman's Statement on the situation in East Timor.
	Meanwhile, we continue to apply pressure on the Government of Indonesia bilaterally and through the European Union for Indonesia to comply fully with its international human rights obligation.
	Our Ambassador in Jakarta last raised the issue of human rights in Indonesia when he met with Bambang Yudhoyono the Co-ordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs on 1 March.

Rail Journeys (Staff)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy that rail journeys undertaken by staff in his Department should ordinarily be on standard class tickets.

Denis MacShane: In practice, many staff already travel at standard class unless, for example, they need extra space to work during travel. Staff are encouraged to use standard class on short journeys, especially when they are made at off-peak times.

Israel

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the number of Israelis killed by Palestinian terrorists (a) since 7 March 2001 and (b) during the 12 months prior to that date.

Ben Bradshaw: As I said to my right hon. Friend in my previous answer on the same subject on 6 December 2001, casualty figures can be unreliable. Israeli Government figures show that about 65 Israelis were killed in the twelve months before 7 March 2001, and 255 since then to 6 March. From the start of the intifada in September 2000 to the end of February 2002, 1,087 Palestinians have been killed, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

Israel

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether British-made components are in use on (a) Israeli Apache helicopters, (b) Merkave tanks, (c) F16 jets and (d) armoured personnel carriers; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: In answer to (a), (b) and (c), we have no evidence that equipment or components manufactured in the UK and licensed for export by this Government have been used by Israeli forces against civilians in the Occupied Territories during the recent and continued violence. We would plainly be most concerned if such evidence came to light.
	New information has, however, come to light that UK supplied equipment licensed for export under a previous Administration and a different export control regime is being used by the Israelis in the Occupied Territories. The Israelis have modified a number of Centurion tanks, exported to Israel between 1958 and 1970, into armoured personnel carriers.
	This contradicts a written assurance that the Israeli Government gave us on 29 November 2000 that
	"no UK originated equipment nor any UK originated systems/sub-systems/components are used as part of the Israel Defence Force's activities in the Territories"
	We shall be seeking an explanation from the Israeli Government. I shall inform my hon. Friend and the House of the outcome.
	We consider all export licence applications to Israel on a case by case basis against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria, taking careful account on a case by case basis of the nature of the equipment and the proposed end-use and end-user.

Overseas Representatives (Business Promotion)

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether a British ambassador or high commissioner has, since the beginning of this Parliament, submitted a draft letter for the Prime Minister in support of the commercial activities of a British company other than that submitted by the British ambassador to Romania in connection with the acquisition of Sidex by Mr. Lakshmi Mittal's company.

Denis MacShane: holding answer 7 March 2002
	I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 14 February 2002, Official Report, columns 610–11W.

Overseas Representatives (Business Promotion)

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what instructions and guidance his Department has given to British ambassadors and high commissioners overseas as to the circumstances in which they should seek a letter from the Prime Minister in support of the commercial activities of a British company; and if he will place a copy of such instructions and guidance in the Library.

Denis MacShane: holding answer 7 March 2002
	Ministers write frequently in support of UK commercial interests in overseas markets with each case considered on its merits.

Drug Trafficking (Central Asia)

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Turkey concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Afghanistan;
	(2)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Pakistan concerning the measures it is taking to prevent the trafficking of poppies and heroin between Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia;
	(3)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Kazakhstan concerning the measures it is taking to prevent the trafficking of poppies and heroin between Afghanistan and those countries in Central Asia;
	(4)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Iran concerning the measures it is taking to prevent the trafficking of poppies and heroin between Afghanistan and those countries in Central Asia;
	(5)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Kyrgyzstan concerning the measures it is taking to prevent the trafficking of poppies and heroin between Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia;
	(6)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Kyrgyzstan concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Kyrgyzstan;
	(7)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Tajikistan concerning the measures it is taking to prevent the trafficking of poppies and heroin between Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia;
	(8)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the United States Government concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Afghanistan;
	(9)  what reports his Department has received on changes in the level of cultivation and trafficking of poppies in (a) Afghanistan and (b) other Central Asian countries since the establishment of Afghanistan's interim Government;
	(10)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Afghanistan concerning the measures it is taking to prevent the trafficking of poppies and heroin between Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia;
	(11)  what recent discussions he has had with his European Union counterparts concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Afghanistan;
	(12)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Pakistan concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Pakistan;
	(13)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Uzbekistan concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Uzbekistan;
	(14)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Kazakhstan concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Kazakhstan;
	(15)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Uzbekistan concerning the measures it is taking to prevent the trafficking of poppies and heroin between Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia;
	(16)  what recent discussion his Department has had with the Government of Turkmenistan concerning the measures it is taking to prevent the trafficking of poppies and heroin between Afghanistan and other countries in Central Asia;
	(17)  what recent discussion his Department has had with the Government of Iran concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Iran;
	(18)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Tajikistan concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Tajikistan;
	(19)  what recent discussions his Department has had with the interim Government of Afghanistan concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Afghanistan.

Jack Straw: The cultivation and trafficking of opiates is of serious concern to the UK. The UK maintains a dialogue, and co-operates closely, with the EU and G8 countries as well as all countries in south-west and Central Asia. The Bonn Agreement concluded in December 2001 urged the international community to assist the Afghan Interim Authority to combat the cultivation and trafficking of illicit drugs. When I met Hamid Karzai, the Chairman of the Interim Administration, during my visit to India at the end of last month I stressed the importance of progress on tackling drugs. Mr. Karzai has already signalled his intent by announcing in January a ban on drugs production, processing and trafficking. The international community, including the UK, has expressed its determination to help the Afghan authorities to implement this ban as soon as possible.
	It was decided at the Tokyo Reconstruction conference in January that drugs should be treated as a cross-cutting issue and that drugs-related objectives should therefore be reflected in all assistance programmes. The UK pledged £200 million at Tokyo which, among other things, will be aimed at projects designed to reduce the dependence of the Afghan economy on drugs.
	In financial year 2002–03 the FCO will provide around £4.5 million for practical anti-drugs assistance in the form of training and equipment to countries in south-west and Central Asia.
	A UNDCP report published at the end of February 2002 stated that between 1,900 and 2,700 tones of opium would be produced in Afghanistan this year. Opium production in other south-west and Central Asian countries is negligible by comparison.

Drug Trafficking (Central Asia)

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Turkmenistan concerning the cultivation and trafficking of poppies originating in Turkmenistan.

Denis MacShane: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to the right hon. Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram).

Death Penalty

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to ensure that there will be a resolution condemning the use of the death penalty at the forthcoming session of the Commission on Human Rights.

Denis MacShane: Since the death penalty was removed from the statute book in 1998, the UK has gained a reputation as a leading advocate for the abolition of the death penalty worldwide. As in recent years, the EU will table a resolution on the death penalty at the forthcoming session of the UN Commission on Human Rights (CHR). The UK will be contributing fully to this resolution and will be working hard to ensure that it receives maximum support in the CHR.

World Conference Against Racism

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he has taken to encourage the 2002 Commission on Human Rights to adopt a resolution calling on all Governments to implement the Declaration and Programme of Action of the World Conference against Racism.

Denis MacShane: The UK reaffirmed its commitment to combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in the UN General Assembly Third Committee when it co-sponsored a Resolution that endorsed the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action which was passed on 26 February. The UK will be working closely with other nations to ensure that the Resolution at the CHR promotes the follow-up agreed in the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

Torture Convention

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to encourage the adoption of the Draft Protocol to the Torture Convention at the 2002 Commission on Human Rights.

Denis MacShane: The UK supports the Draft Optional Protocol to the UN Convention Against Torture (OP/CAT) and believes it would make an important contribution to preventing and eradicating torture. We are continuing to work closely with EU partners and others to make the protocol a reality; the EU is in contact with the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Optional Protocol Working Group to discuss next steps, including promoting the Optional Protocol at the Commission on Human Rights.

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to whom the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is accountable; and when he last met (a) the president and (b) the UK director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Clare Short: I have been asked to reply.
	The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is accountable to the 62 Governments and institutions that hold shares in it. The UK Government are one of these shareholders.
	The EBRD is governed by 62 governors appointed by the shareholders. The board of governors meets once a year and holds full power over the bank. Governors have delegated responsibility for most general operations of the bank to a board of 23 directors. The powers and responsibilities of the governors and directors are set out in full in the agreement establishing the EBRD (available at www.ebrd.com).
	In the case of the UK, the Chancellor of the Exchequer is the UK governor and I am the UK alternate governor. My Department takes lead policy responsibility for EBRD on most issues. The UK director is a DFID official on secondment.
	I have met the President of the EBRD on a number of occasions.

Parliamentary Debates

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the information which underlay the statement of the hon. Member for Exeter on 6 March in Westminster Hall that the Prime Minister has spent more time in the House answering questions and making statements than either of his two predecessors.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Prime Minister on 11 March (UIN 42137).

SCOTLAND

Electricity Act

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions she has had with the Scottish Executive on the consequences for energy supply of section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Liddell: I have regular discussions with the First Minister on a wide range of matters.

Asbestos-related Diseases

Rachel Squire: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action she is taking to encourage insurance companies to reduce the delay in making payments to those with asbestos-related diseases in Scotland.

Helen Liddell: On Wednesday 6 March I chaired a meeting of parties involved in handling asbestos claims related to Chester Street Insurance Holding Ltd. Present at the meeting were PricewaterhouseCoopers (the Chester Street administrators); the Association of British Insurers; the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and Iron Trades Management Services (claims handlers).
	At the meeting, I made it very clear that delays in dealing with agreed claims are not acceptable. All parties acknowledged that agreed claims should be paid as quickly and as efficiently as possible. The administrators, the ABI, the FSCS and ITMS made the point to me that the arrangements set up following the insolvency of Chester Street are unique. There had been complexities, particularly in relation to establishing liabilities. In some cases, solvent policyholders (i.e. the companies, or their successors, for whom the claimants had originally worked) have been traced and their liabilities have had to be established. However, this type of work has now largely been completed. As a result, it should be possible to process claims payments more quickly in the future.
	In a number of cases, those present at the meeting indicated that settlement forms had been sent out to claimants' lawyers, for the claimant to sign. Clearly, it is important for these forms to be signed and returned as soon as possible, to speed the process along.
	I am anxious to ensure that individual claimants are kept informed of the process. It was agreed that a newsletter will be produced within the next week, to be distributed to Members of Parliament with a constituency interest. We will also consider other ways of keeping individual claimants informed.
	We also discussed whether it would be possible to establish a system so that once a claim against Chester Street is agreed, the claimant would know how long it should take for the claim to be processed. The administrators, the ABI, FSCS and ITMS agreed to consider this further and report back to me.
	I will convene a further meeting in six weeks' time to discuss the claims handling process. I made it clear that, when this next meeting takes place, I want to see significant progress made in paying claims. We will invite other relevant parties to the meeting, such as claimants' solicitors. We will also have detailed statistical information available on the number of claims made; the number settled and the number still outstanding.
	The Government are determined to make sure that the arrangements put in place following the insolvency of Chester Street last year work as efficiently and as quickly as possible.

TREASURY

Job Advertisements

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the job advertisements placed by his Department in the last 12 months specifying where the advertisements were placed and the cost in each case.

Ruth Kelly: The details held centrally in respect of job advertisements placed by Departments and agencies of the Chancellor have been deposited in the Library of the House. In each case details for the latest 12 months available have been provided.
	Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue, including Valuation Office, delegate much of their recruitment to their various business elements. In consequence the amount of information held centrally is limited.

Premium Bonds

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the yield rates on premium bonds in each of the last five years.

Ruth Kelly: The rate of interest used to calculate the size of the monthly premium bond prize fund is a variable rate that can be changed on giving three months' notice. The rates that have applied over the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			 Rate per annum (percentage) Effective from 
		
		
			 4.75 1 May 1996 
			 5.0 1 November 1997 
			 4.5 1 March 1999 
			 4.0 1 April 1999 
			 3.25 1 June 1999 
			 3.5 1 January 2000 
			 3.75 1 March 2000 
			 4.0 1 May 2000 
			 4.25 1 June 2000 
			 4.0 1 April 2001 
			 3.75 1 August 2001 
			 3.5 1 September 2001 
			 3.25 1 December 2001 
			 2.9 1 February 2002 
			 2.4 1 March 2002

War Insurance Cover

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend war insurance cover for the airlines until the end of June.

Ruth Kelly: The Treasury announced on 21 January that the Troika insurance scheme that provides war insurance for the UK aviation industry would be extended for a final time until 20 March. I have nothing further to add to that announcement.
	A minute setting out the details of the scheme and the date on which it would end was laid before Parliament on 5 February. A copy was sent to the Transport and Treasury Select Committees.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Valuation Office has made of the likely annual receipts from charging care homes NNDR where they provide intermediate care.

Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency has no information regarding the number of intermediate care homes which exist at present, or are likely to be constructed or adapted in the future. It is unable to provide information regarding individual liability since this will depend on the size and location of the property in question. Nor does it have knowledge of the council tax liability which might accrue in such cases if they were not subject to business rates.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the decision of the Valuation Office to make care homes providing intermediate care liable for NNDR.

Dawn Primarolo: The decision as to whether a property should be entered in the valuation list for council tax, or the rating list for business rates, is based on the definition of domestic property in section 66 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. In short, if the accommodation is wholly or mainly provided for short periods to individuals whose sole or main residence is elsewhere then it will no longer be domestic and must be treated as non-domestic and, therefore, will be liable to business rates.

Personal Allowance

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the distribution of benefits for the personal allowance by income deciles in (a) pounds per annum and (b) percentage terms; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The reductions in income tax labilities of taxpayers from personal allowances by income decile are in the table.
	
		Tax reductions from personal allowances
		
			 Income decile of taxpayers in 2001–02 £ billion per annum As a percentage of income 
		
		
			 Top 5.0 3 
			 Second 3.1 4 
			 Third 2.7 4 
			 Fourth 2.8 5 
			 Fifth 2.8 6 
			 Sixth 2.9 8 
			 Seventh 2.9 9 
			 Eighth 2.9 11 
			 Ninth 2.9 14 
			 Bottom 2.5 16 
		
	
	These estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes.

Tax Credits

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for which benefits he proposes the proposed pension credit and the general employment credit to be a passport.

Dawn Primarolo: The benefits passported from tax credits or social security benefits are the responsibility of the Departments that administer them, and it is they who set the rules for entitlement.
	The Treasury continues to discuss with the relevant Departments the effect of the new tax credits on the populations currently entitled to various passported benefits.

Accommodation Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of hotel accommodation for departmental staff working away from home in each of the last four years.

Ruth Kelly: The table shows the total cost of all hotel accommodation, subsistence allowances and associated expenditure for HM Treasury staff making official trips away from the office. No further disaggregation is available.
	
		Expenditure
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 1997–98 141 
			 1998–99 162 
			 1999–2000 210 
			 2000–01 166

Class 3 Contributions

Tim Boswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been raised in each of the last three years by Class 3 contributions sent in from those resident abroad, broken down by country where this amounts to more than 5 per cent. of total numbers, and for the remainder collectively.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 5 March 2002
	Reliable information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Working Families Tax Credit

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of the promotional campaigns for the WFTC have been evaluated by (a) the Government and (b) independent bodies on behalf of the Government; and if he will place copies of the reviews in the Library.

Dawn Primarolo: All working families tax credit promotional campaigns have been evaluated by independent external agencies managed by COI Communications Research Unit on behalf of Inland Revenue Marketing and Communications.
	Qualitative research has been undertaken to develop the creative proposals for the advertising campaigns and measure the effectiveness of the proposals to convey the campaign messages to the target audiences.
	Quantitative tracking research has also been organised to evaluate the success of the campaign, by measuring the awareness levels among the target audiences and understanding of the message. The Inland Revenue also monitors the number of calls to helplines, the number of booklets ordered and the take up of WFTC.
	The tracking research reports have not been placed in the House of Commons Library, but are held by Inland Revenue Marketing and Communications team and the COI Communications Research Unit. These reports are used to develop all following campaigns.
	Quantitative tracking research has been carried out five times since the first WFTC advertising campaign in 1999. Wave 1 was 1999, wave 2 and 3 in 2000, wave 4 in 2001 and wave 5 in 2002 (currently under way).

Landfill Tax

Alex Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the landfill tax proceeds have passed to Entrust in (a) 1998–99, (b) 1999–2000 and (c) 2000–01 for (i) the UK and (ii) Scotland separately.

Paul Boateng: holding answer 8 March 2002
	Entrust, the regulator of the environmental bodies landfill tax credit scheme, receives none of the proceeds from landfill tax. Figures for contributions are collected by calendar year. Contributions made by landfill site operators under the scheme to environmental bodies are:
	
		£ 
		
			  For the UK For Scotland 
		
		
			 1999 82,676,183 7,488,354 
			 2000 96,221,885 7,992,538 
			 2001 115,774,454 7,808,311

Landfill Tax

Alex Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been raised by the landfill tax in (a) 1998–99, (b) 1999–2000 and (c) 2000–01 in (i) the UK and (ii) Scotland; and how much of this landfill tax has been used for tax credits in (A) 1998–99, (B) 1999–2000 and (c) 2000–01 for (1) the UK and (2) Scotland.

Paul Boateng: holding answer 8 March 2002
	Figures related to landfill tax receipts and environmental tax credits for the UK can be found in the HM Customs and Excise "Landfill Tax Factsheet", which is available in the Library.
	Separate figures for Scotland are not available. This is due to the method of calculation of the tax, where each landfill operator is registered according to the location of their head office.

Landfill Tax

Alex Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the expenditure of Entrust has been in (a) 1998–99, (b) 1999–2000 and (c) 2000–01 for (i) the UK and (ii) Scotland.

Paul Boateng: holding answer 8 March 2002
	Figures for expenditure by environmental bodies under the environmental bodies landfill tax credit scheme are collected by calendar year. They are:
	(i) For the UK:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1999 46,835,182 
			 2000 82,040,006 
			 2001 117,659,082 
		
	
	(ii) For Scotland:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1999 5,475,538 
			 2000 9,904,464 
			 2001 2,670,705

Landfill Tax

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what landfill tax proceeds have passed to Entrust in (a) 1998–99, (b) 1999–2000 and (c) 2000–01 for (i) the UK and (ii) Scotland.

Paul Boateng: pursuant to his reply, 25 February 2002, c. 1054W
	The information relating to landfill site operators' contributions should have been presented by calendar year, the basis on which Entrust calculates its figures, not by financial year. The table should have read:
	(i) For the UK:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1999 82,676,183 
			 2000 96,221,885 
			 2001 115,774,454 
		
	
	(ii) For Scotland:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1999 7,488,354 
			 2000 7,992,538 
			 2001 7,808,311

Landfill Tax

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Entrust's expenditure was in (a) 1998–99, (b) 1999–2000 and (c) 2000–01 for (i) the UK and (ii) Scotland.

Paul Boateng: pursuant to his reply, 26 February 2002, c. 1204W
	The information relating to landfill site operators' contributions should have been presented by calendar year, the basis on which Entrust calculates its figures, not by financial year. The table should have read:
	(i) For the UK:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1999 46,835,182 
			 2000 82,040,006 
			 2001 117,659,082 
		
	
	(ii) For Scotland:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1999 5,475,538 
			 2000 9,904,464 
			 2001 2,670,705

Arthur Andersen

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the names of the Arthur Andersen employees seconded to the Treasury between 1997 and 2001; and what their duties were.

Ruth Kelly: Four people were seconded to HM Treasury from Arthur Andersen during the period 1997 to 2001. Details of current secondees from all sectors outside central Government can be found on the Treasury website.

Private Sponsorship

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the events which have been sponsored by a private organisation in (a) his Department, (b) the Office of Government Commerce, (c) the Inland Revenue and (d) Customs and Excise since May 1997 and the names of the sponsoring organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: Records are not maintained centrally. Information in the format required could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Parliamentary Questions

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will answer the question of 31 January 2002 from the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell concerning sponsorship.

Ruth Kelly: I have replied to the hon. Gentleman today.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham can expect an answer to his Question tabled on 28 January, ref 31887.

Ruth Kelly: I very much regret that the hon. Member's earlier question has not yet been answered. I hope to be in a position to reply to him very soon.

Teenage Pregnancies

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many teenage pregnancies there were in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age and (b) region.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Tim Loughton, dated March 2002
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many teenage pregnancies there were in each of the last five year, broken down by (a) age and (b) region. (42329)
	Figures for the latest available five years, 1996–2000, are shown in the table.
	
		Teenage conceptions: numbers by age and health region 1996–2000
		
			   Age at conception  
			 Year of conception and health region(11) <14 14 15 16 17 18 19 
		
		
			 1996
			 Northern and Yorkshire 60 317 887 2,052 2,840 3,228 3,569 
			 Trent 58 210 790 1,535 2,051 2,440 2,597 
			 Eastern 25 137 485 1,049 1,661 1,998 2,336 
			 London 71 278 823 1,852 2,919 3,563 4,490 
			 South East 57 225 810 1,907 2,685 3,306 3,618 
			 South West 39 160 447 1,061 1,553 1,798 2,021 
			 West Midlands 57 225 821 1,694 2,327 2,811 3,131 
			 North West 54 256 921 2,168 2,991 3,438 3,867 
			 Wales 30 153 461 966 1,322 1,568 1,604 
			 1997
			 Northern and Yorkshire 57 309 907 1,996 2,924 3,459 3,595 
			 Trent 34 217 647 1,460 2,134 2,605 2,598 
			 Eastern 25 149 457 1,135 1,721 2,138 2,351 
			 London 57 285 799 1,938 2,896 3,796 4,489 
			 South East 47 262 774 1,823 2,898 3,436 3,553 
			 South West 34 142 422 1,072 1,532 1,927 1,975 
			 West Midlands 52 239 721 1,635 2,574 3,020 3,031 
			 North West 45 245 781 2,059 2,959 3,666 3,818 
			 Wales 14 116 434 940 1,391 1,570 1,621 
			 
			 1998
			 Northern and Yorkshire 63 301 856 1,884 2,975 3,777 3,909 
			 Trent 56 241 672 1,480 2,317 2,885 2,936 
			 Eastern 28 156 451 1,108 1,849 2,298 2,519 
			 London 64 280 808 1,852 3,038 4,157 4,762 
			 South East 54 236 773 1,855 2,997 3,755 4,005 
			 South West 35 144 474 1,065 1,642 2,130 2,213 
			 West Midlands 56 227 752 1,567 2,483 3,116 3,380 
			 North West 39 263 826 2,009 3,113 4,095 4,099 
			 Wales 28 140 429 982 1,451 1,726 1,746 
			 
			 1999
			 Northern and Yorkshire 53 260 806 1,908 2,787 3,515 4,011 
			 Trent 39 204 623 1,428 2,078 2,748 3,055 
			 Eastern 27 145 455 1,037 1,756 2,295 2,477 
			 London 71 257 730 1,896 3,021 4,075 4,894 
			 South East 63 256 737 1,754 2,768 3,570 4,019 
			 South West 28 161 469 1,000 1,513 1,959 2,229 
			 West Midlands 49 206 635 1,550 2,398 2,980 3,445 
			 North West 50 258 826 1,904 3,041 3,746 4,182 
			 Wales 26 119 392 857 1,387 1,739 1,820 
			 
			 2000(12)
			 Northern and Yorkshire 43 250 805 1,785 2,667 3,537 3,794 
			 Trent 40 181 590 1,366 2,042 2,573 3,024 
			 Eastern 30 153 430 1,113 1,605 2,157 2,424 
			 London 87 303 856 1,892 2,900 4,057 5,085 
			 South East 47 268 792 1,766 2,736 3,363 4,043 
			 South West 40 153 450 984 1,464 1,966 2,167 
			 West Midlands 49 234 709 1,512 2,355 3,021 3,521 
			 North West 38 229 840 1,903 2,983 3,826 4,192 
			 Wales 21 119 354 828 1,327 1,666 1,851 
		
	
	(11) Boundaries as at 1 April 2001
	(12) Provisional
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Insurance Premiums

Paul Truswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has evaluated the effect on the competitiveness of British businesses of increases in (a) employer liability insurance premiums and (b) other insurance premiums; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The Government do not intervene in the setting of insurance premiums. These are currently increasing worldwide, not just in the UK.

Export Licences

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who in his Department is responsible for co-ordinating export licence applications between the Department of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office.

Andrew Smith: Responsibility for co-ordinating export licence applications does not rest with the Treasury or any other department of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Relevant Treasury teams may provide advice on the countries in question or on issues relating to international financial institutions.

Pension Funds

Mark Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the managers of pension funds about the impact of the new accounting standard FRS 17; and what assessment his Department has made of the effect of FRS 17 on pension funds.

Ruth Kelly: I meet representations of the pensions industry regularly and discuss a number of issues. However, the application of accounting standards, FRS 17 included, is a matter for the independent Accounting Standards Board.

Independent School Fees

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to extend the scope of VAT to include independent school fees.

Paul Boateng: The Government have no such plans.

Office for National Statistics

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what information is provided by information on business turnover collected by the Office for National Statistics which is not available to the Government from information collected by Customs and Excise;
	(2)  for what reason the Office for National Statistics is required to collect turnover information from businesses.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. David Lidington, dated 11 March 2002
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent questions on information collected on business turnover. (40834, 40835).
	The ONS collects monthly turnover data directly from businesses in the production, retail and services industries. These statistics are key inputs to monthly short-term indicators of economic activity such as the Index of Production, the Retail Sales Index and the Experimental Index of Services. The same data are used to give timely measures of quarterly Gross Domestic Product. These economic indicators are used by government and the public to help monitor the performance of the UK economy, and by the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England to help set interest rates. Other key users of the data are the Treasury, the Department of Trade and Industry and the European Union.
	Turnover information is also collected on an annual basis via the Annual Business Inquiry. Here it is one of a set of data items needed on a coherent basis from the annual accounts of a business and cannot be taken in isolation. This set of data is used to compile the National Accounts (including estimation of Gross Domestic Product and Investment) and for other important statistics such as Productivity. Key users again include the Treasury, the Department of Trade and Industry and the European Union.
	VAT returns made by businesses to Customs and Excise do include data on turnover. However VAT sources are far from ideal for the purposes of producing national statistics. The data are for the most part collected on a quarterly basis and they are less timely. Also, some businesses are exempt from VAT so that coverage is incomplete.
	The possible use of these returns to replace or partially replace directly collected survey data is part of ONS' long term strategic development programme. In 2000 a feasibility study suggested that it might be possible to use VAT sources more directly. In 2001 ONS piloted and introduced a secure system for transmitting VAT turnover data from Customs and Excise to ONS and confirmed that there would be no legal barriers to such data transfer. We plan to further develop the methodology adopted in the 2000 feasibility study, to prepare inputs to the Index of Production and Index of Services in parallel with those based on business surveys and to quality assure the alternative sources with key users. If this is successful ONS will then move to the much greater use of VAT returns.

Cancer Deaths

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest assessment is of the number of deaths from cancer which could be avoided in the UK each year if cancer survival rates were raised to the average level of other EU countries.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Tim Loughton, dated March 2002
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the number of deaths from cancer which could be avoided in the UK each year if cancer survival rates were raised to the average level of other EU countries. (42286)
	The number requested is not readily available. Comparable survival rates do not exist for all EU countries or for the UK as a whole. The comparable figures that are available relate to the devolved administrations of the UK and those parts of EU countries that participated in the EUROCARE project.

Official Visits

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the official visits 
	(1)  to (a) Paris and (b) Brussels made by each Minister in his Department in 2001 and the mode of travel used; and what guidance is provided to Ministers in his Department on the choice of mode of travel for such visits;
	(2)  within the UK outside London made by each Minister in his Department in 2001, giving for each (a) the origin and destination and (b) the mode of travel used; and what guidance is provided to Ministers in his Department on choice of mode of travel for official visits.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office on 6 March 2002, Official Report, column 421W.

Smaller Quoted Companies

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what incentives are in place to aid investment in research for smaller quoted companies; and what steps the Government are taking to make competition for investment capital less biased towards larger quoted companies.

Dawn Primarolo: An R&D tax credit for small and medium sized companies was introduced in Budget 2000. The credit increases the tax deduction for current spending on qualifying R&D from 100 per cent. to 150 per cent., reducing the cash cost of R&D by 30 per cent. for a company paying tax at the small companies rate. The credit can also be paid to companies that are not yet in profit, at a rate of 24 per cent. An R&D tax credit for larger companies will be introduced in Budget 2002. There are also 100 per cent. allowances for R&D capital spending, which are available to all companies and allow immediate tax deductions for qualifying capital expenditure.
	The Government commissioned the Myners Review in 2000 to look at factors that may be distorting the investment decision-making of institutions. The review reported in March 2001 and found weaknesses in the investment process that affect all quoted companies, including smaller quoted companies. The Government have accepted all the recommendations made in the review in principle and have published consultation documents on specific issues that were highlighted.

Equity

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Government intend to define initial costs incurred as a result of raising equity as a legitimate expense and allow them to be written off against tax.

Dawn Primarolo: The costs of raising equity finance are treated consistently between taxable profits and commercial accounts—they are not allowed as a deduction against profits because they relate to ownership of the company. The Government have not stated any intention to change this rule.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Escapees

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the escaped terrorist prisoners who were on the run and have been granted early release under the terms of the Northern Ireland Sentences Act 1998.

John Reid: 11 prisoners on the run have successfully applied to the Sentence Review Commissioners for early release under the terms of the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998. In addition eight prisoners on the run have met the principles of the early release scheme but a strict application of the Sentences Act has created an anomaly whereby the Sentence Review Commissioners are unable to grant an early release. In those circumstances the Secretary of State's powers under the Northern Ireland Prisons Act 1953 or the Royal Prerogative of Mercy have been used to provide early release. It has always been the Government's policy that they do not name individuals released under the early release scheme.

Escapees

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the terrorists who are on the run from justice and who may benefit from future amnesty legislation.

John Reid: The Government have acknowledged that there is an issue concerning fugitives on the run who would stand to benefit from the early release scheme if they were convicted. As part of the package of measures proposed at Weston Park last July the Government made a commitment to take steps to resolve this issue. The Government are currently considering how to take this forward. An announcement will be made in due course.

Ballistic Protection Kits

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many reclaimed ballistic protection kits have been (a) taken out of service and (b) retained for future use in the event of increased security demands.

Jane Kennedy: The Chief Constable advises me that:
	(a) No Land Rover protection kits have been taken out of service. 70 armoured saloon protection kits have been taken out of service and recycled.
	(b) Reclaimed ballistic protection kits are always recycled and therefore not retained for future use.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Data Protection

Peter Duncan: To ask the President of the Council what representations he has received on the responsibilities of hon. Members under the Data Protection Act 1998; and if he will make a statement.

Robin Cook: I have received a number of representations from hon. Members about difficulties they are experiencing in dealing with constituency cases as a result of the Data Protection Act. At my instigation, officials are consulting their colleagues in the Lord Chancellor's Department about what changes might be needed to the present arrangements.

Government Bills

Norman Baker: To ask the President of the Council how many Government Bills were announced in the Queen's Speech and were not introduced in the same Session of Parliament in the (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000 and (d) 2000–01 Sessions of Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

Robin Cook: Subject to the exceptions set out, all legislation announced in Queen's Speeches from 1997–2000 was introduced during the same Session of Parliament.
	Queen's Speech 1998 announced our intention to introduce legislation to promote electronic commerce; the Electronic Communications Act was introduced the following Session.
	Queen's Speech 1999 announced our intention to introduce legislation to increase the effectiveness of the power to remove regulatory burdens and to improve the education of children with special educational needs; the Regulatory Reform Act and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act were introduced the following Session.
	Queen's Speech 2000 announced our intention to re-introduce legislation on giving courts the power to decide whether certain defendants should be tried by jury or by magistrates; the Government have subsequently announced their intention to bring forward legislation to reform the criminal courts system in the light of the recommendations from the review by Lord Justice Auld.

Government Bills

Norman Baker: To ask the President of the Council if he will list the average number of days of consideration for Government Bills in (a) the House of Commons and (b) the House of Lords in each parliamentary Session since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Robin Cook: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Records are not kept in precisely the form required. The table 1 provides information on the time taken to consider Government Bills.
	1 Supplied by the Journal Offices in the Lords and the Commons.
	
		House of Commons
		
			 Session 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 Government Bills considered—floor 53 31 40 26 
			 Time taken debating 781 hours 53 minutes 396 hours 38 minutes 565 hours 5 minutes 243 hours 35 minutes 
			 Average time per Bill 14 hours 45 minutes 12 hours 48 minutes 14 hours 8 minutes 9 hours 22 minutes 
			 Government Bills considered(13) 31 26 37 17 
			 Sittings(13) 228 207 341 121 
			 Average sittings per Bill 7.35 7.96 9.22 7.12 
		
	
	(13) Standing Committee
	
		House of Lords
		
			 Session 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 Government Bills considered(14) 50 29 42 27 
			 Time taken debating 806 hours 55 minutes 622 hours 45 minutes 791 hours 33 minutes 223 hours 38 minutes 
			 Average time per Bill 16 hours 8 minutes 21 hours 28 minutes 18 hours 51 minutes 8 hours 17 minutes 
		
	
	(14) Floor or Grand Committee

Government Bills

Norman Baker: To ask the President of the Council 
	(1)  how many Government Bills were introduced in each Parliamentary Session since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will list each Bill introduced by the Government which failed to complete its passage through Parliament in each Parliamentary Session since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Robin Cook: The information is in the table.
	
		
			  Number of Government Bills  
			 Session/Bill Introduced Which failed to complete their passage 
		
		
			 1997–98   
			 European Parliamentary Elections 53 1 
			
			 1998–99   
			 Northern Ireland   
			 Sexual Offences (Amendment)134  
			 Financial Services and Markets(15)   
			 Railways   
			
			 1999–2000   
			 Criminal Justice No. 1(16)   
			 Criminal Justice No. 2(16)423  
			 European Parliamentary Elections   
			
			 2000–01   
			 Adoption and Children   
			 Commonhold and Leasehold   
			 Culture and Recreation   
			 Homes287  
			 Hunting   
			 International Development   
			 Tobacco Advertising and Promotion   
			
			 2001–02   
			 So far 31 — 
		
	
	(15) Carried over
	(16) Mode of Trial

HOME DEPARTMENT

Home Detention Curfew Scheme

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has held with prison governors about the number of prisoners released under the home detention curfew scheme.

Beverley Hughes: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary addressed prison governors on 6 November 2001.
	He and I saw representatives of the Prison Governors Association on 6 March. We have told governors that we want to see the fullest possible use made of Home Detention Curfew without compromising public safety. HDC has an important part to play in resettling prisoners on their release from custody and that is why the Government are looking at ways of extending HDC.

Substance Abuse Centres

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the support given by the Government to drug rehabilitation and substance abuse centres.

Bob Ainsworth: The Government are making substantial investment to increase drug treatment services, particularly for Class A drug users. Through the Pooled Treatment Budget, we are increasing funding from £234 million in 2001–02 to £400 million by 2003–04 to improve services locally and reduce waiting times.
	Everybody wants to see more treatment available—but we also want to ensure that it is better treatment, providing skilled staff and delivered in a way that is appropriate for the communities that they serve. Many treatment providers already offer excellent services. Where services need to be improved the National Treatment Agency is working with Drug Action Teams to raise standards and ensure that high quality treatment is available to everyone who needs it with a minimum of delay.

Police Officers

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to meet representatives of the police forces to discuss proposed changes to police pay and conditions.

John Denham: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary continues to have regular meetings with representatives of all police organisations. He had a meeting with leaders of the Police Federation on 6 March. His officials are involved in conciliation discussions in the Police Negotiating Board (PNB) about proposed changes to police pay and conditions with the representatives of all the main police organisations.

Police Officers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many additional police officers have allocated to (a) West Midlands police force and (b) Coventry under his recent initiative.

John Denham: Under the Government's Crime Fighting Fund (CFF) recruitment initiative, the West Midlands police have been allocated funding for 523 recruits over the above their previous recruitment plans for the three years to March 2003.
	I understand that so far, 62 of the recruits funded by the CFF have been allocated by the chief constable to Coventry. In addition to the CFF, Coventry has been allocated funding for four extra officers from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.

Community Wardens

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the funding of community wardens in Lancashire.

John Denham: Government funding for neighbourhood wardens schemes in Lancashire in the financial years 2000–01 to 2002–03 totals £740,070. Of this £197,500 will go to Skelmersdale in the West Lancashire district council, £343,274 to the Greater Lever, Hutton Lance and Deane areas Burnley and £199,296 to Wyre district council.
	Government funding for Street Warden Schemes in Lancashire in the financial years 2001–02 to 2003–04 totals £441,785. Of this £189,000 will go to Morecambe, £206,500 to Hyndburn and £45,785 to Burnley.

Auld Review

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on Lord Justice Auld's review of the criminal courts.

Keith Bradley: The Government welcome Sir Robin Auld's review of the criminal courts, the report of which was published last October, and are considering their response in the light of full public consultation.

Refugees

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his proposals to develop a source country refugee resettlement programme.

Angela Eagle: As announced on 7 February in the White Paper "Secure Borders, Safe Haven", we intend to introduce a resettlement programme that will enable those refugees whose life, liberty, or security cannot be protected in their current place of refuge, to be brought in safety to the United Kingdom and provided with protection. This will provide a legal route for those seeking international protection and is further evidence of our practical support of the Refugee Convention.

Victims of Crime

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support his Department is giving to victims of crime in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Bradley: I am fully committed to improve services and support to the victims of crime. That is why we have more than doubled the annual grant to Victim Support since May 1997 (from £11.7 million to £25 million), and delivered new services such as witness support in magistrates courts, a national telephone helpline and a victim personal statement scheme.

Victims of Crime

Betty Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he gives to police authorities on automatic referral of victims of crime to Victim Support.

Keith Bradley: Guidance about new arrangements for referring details of victims of crime to Victim Support by the police was issued in Home Office Circular 44/2001 of 3 October 2001.

Citizenship

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that young offenders have instruction in the obligations of citizenship.

Beverley Hughes: Citizenship is an important part of the curriculum for juveniles in custody. It helps them to understand the consequences of their behaviour and prepares them for a useful life on release.

Young Offenders

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the numbers of young people serving custodial sentences in young offenders' institutions who come from deprived areas.

Beverley Hughes: While information about prisoners' home addresses prior to custody is not collected centrally, we know that many young prisoners have a multiplicity of serious problems and social exclusion. For some, prison can be the first chance to address the problems that contribute to their offending.
	In the spring, the Social Exclusion Unit are to publish a report into how the Prison Service, the National Probation Service and other agencies can better tackle the problems, including social deprivation, that contribute to prisoners' offending and reduce their likelihood of re-offending on release. A copy of the report will be placed in the Library.

Young Offenders

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders in young offender institutions are fathers; and what the Prison Service is doing to ensure they maintain contact with their children.

Beverley Hughes: There are no centrally held statistics. However, recent research suggests that 25 per cent. of male young offenders and 39 per cent. of female young offenders are parents. The Prison Service recognises the importance of family ties to the rehabilitation of prisoners, and in particular the value of prisoners continuing their parental role while in custody. Young offender institutions have introduced programmes which support this process, including the appointment of family liaison officers, extended family visits and parenting skills courses. For low income families, the Assisted Prison Visits Unit provides financial support for the cost of visiting, or escorting children to visits.

Young Offenders

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he issues on the proportion of youth offending team budgets to be devoted to preventative work.

Beverley Hughes: The aim of all youth offending team (Yot) spending is to prevent offending. National standards issued by the Home Secretary in April 2000 state that a minimum of 2.5 per cent. of the Yot budget must be spent on preventive services for children and young people at high risk of offending. The remainder prevents offending by working with young people in the youth justice system who have admitted or been convicted of an offence.

Young Offenders

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what information he has on the (a) numbers and (b) categories of young offenders broken down into those living with (i) a single parent and (ii) two married parents;
	(2)  what recent research he has evaluated on a link between young offenders and the incidence of families living on some form of state welfare support;
	(3)  what research he has commissioned on the link between young offenders and their family structures, with special reference to living with (a) never married parent, (b) single parents, (c) two married parents, (d) family members other than parents and (e) being adopted, in (i) the UK and (ii) in other countries.

Beverley Hughes: In last year's youth offending survey commissioned by the Youth Justice Board, 24 per cent. of young secondary school people in two parent households and 30 per cent. of those in one parent households admitted to an offence in the previous years.
	However there was not a clear difference in repeat offending.
	The Home Office and the Home Office-sponsored Youth Justice Board have commissioned a number of research studies into the causes of youth offending, including family background. Most recently, 19 November 2001, Communities That Care reported on risk and protective factors associated with youth crime for the Youth Justice Board. It showed that youth offending risks were increased by among other things family conflict, family structure, poor quality parental supervision and discipline, a poor relationship between the child and one or both parents and low family income. I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Library.
	We have not commissioned any specific research on the link between youth offending and families living on welfare support.

Police Administration

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his strategy for investment in technology designed to improve police administrative procedures.

John Denham: The Police Reform White Paper includes major strategies for using information technology to reduce bureaucratic burdens on police officers.
	Major projects which will benefit from central investment include the Airwave national police communications service; the National Strategy for Police Information Systems to improve the recording and delivery of information across the police service and wider criminal justice system; the National Automated Fingerprint Identification's System and the Police National Network Two which will add new services such as internet and extranet connectivity to the original Police National Network.

Criminal Records Bureau

Debra Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what access to the Criminal Records Bureau will be available in Northern Ireland.

John Denham: Arrangements for implementing Part V of the Police Act 1997 in Northern Ireland are still under consideration. Until Part V is implemented, some organisations in Northern Ireland, in considering applicants with connections in England and Wales for relevant positions in Northern Ireland, will wish to access information on lists held by departments here of people who are unsuitable to work with children or vulnerable adults.

Rural Policing

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of rural policing in Somerset.

John Denham: The Avon and Somerset police authority has received extra funding of nearly £1 million in the past two years to improve policing in rural areas. This has predominantly been used to make it easier for rural communities to access police services and to increase the visibility and effectiveness of police patrol and operations.
	The Somerset West Basic Command Unit area has been successful in attracting funding for the first national pilot Parish Warden Scheme. Four wardens were recruited in May 2001 and were operational from June 2001. They patrol on foot in local villages to reduce antisocial behaviour and the fear of crime.

Community Support

Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on community support officers' role in reducing the fear of crime.

John Denham: Community Support Officers, who will be employed by the police authority and will be under the command and control of the chief officer of police, will be deployed in the community and will have a vital role to play in support of the police in increasing public safety, contributing to the regeneration of their areas, and reducing the fear of crime. They will provide a visible, reassuring presence to the public, and will have sufficient powers to deal with minor disorder and antisocial behaviour.

Police Reform

Claire Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had on police reform with Hertfordshire Constabulary.

John Denham: As yet, we have not been in direct discussion with Hertfordshire Constabulary on the police reform programme. We did invite comments on the police reform White Paper but there were no representations from Hertfordshire. However, we did receive responses from organisations such as the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities, both of whom represent the interests of Hertfordshire Constabulary, and from the Police Federation and the Superintendents Association who represent other ranks.

Bail Hostels

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on plans for private sector involvement in bail hostels.

Beverley Hughes: The National Probation Directorate is currently inviting tenders for a contract to provide facilities managements services, such as catering, cleaning and building maintenance for the approved probation hostels estate. The Invitation To Tender document has been issued and bids have been requested by the end of April. The contract is programmed to commence in September 2002.

Child Abuse

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce proposals for new laws to protect children from sexual abuse.

Keith Bradley: Protecting children from abuse is of the highest priority for this Government and we will continue to build upon and strengthen the measures already in place to safeguard children.
	Protecting children from sexual abuse was one of the principal reasons why we set up the Sex Offences Review in January 1999. Its terms of reference specifically included
	"to provide clear and coherent sex offences which protect individuals, especially children and the more vulnerable, from abuse and exploitation".
	The review made wide-ranging proposals both to introduce new offences and to clarify and amend existing ones. These proposals were published for public consultation in July 2000 and we are currently considering how to proceed in the light of the large number of responses. We intend to legislate as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Street Robbery

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to reduce street robbery.

John Denham: We are determined to reduce street robbery. Five metropolitan forces have received an additional £20 million to assist their efforts in tackling this crime. We are working with those forces, as well as progressing an extensive robbery research programme, to enable us to identify good practice in tackling robbery which we will ensure is disseminated to all forces.
	We are working with schools, communities and local authorities to reduce the opportunities for robbery and to prevent people from drifting into a life of street crime. We have been working closely with the police and the mobile phone industry to take practical steps to tackle the mobile phone theft problem. We intend to ensure that all mobile phones can be barred as soon as their theft is reported, and we welcome the recent announcements by major network providers on progress towards this target.
	The new London Youth Crime Task Force will help tackle youth crime in London. It will pursue ways of improving the effectiveness of the youth justice system across the capital. We will ensure that the police and the criminal justice system give the highest priority to dealing with street robbers. We especially welcome the Metropolitan Police's Safer Streets initiative which was announced on 4 February and their Ultra Violet (UV) id initiative to mark mobile phones with ultraviolet pens.
	We have also published a Robbery Toolkit which is available to all forces and those involved in crime reduction and community safety and will help them to work as effectively as possible in tackling robbery.

Drugs

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to focus the drugs strategy on class A drugs.

Bob Ainsworth: The main focus of the Government's drug strategy is on the drugs that cause the greatest harm, Class A drugs like heroin and cocaine. However, as my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary indicated in his evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 23 October 2001 we need to be even more effective at tackling the harm caused by Class A drugs. That is why he has sought advice from the Advisory Council on the misuse of Drugs on their assessment reclassifying cannabis from Class B to Class C; we launched an action plan to reduce drug-related deaths; we launched a campaign to raise the awareness of the risks of drugs and to encourage young people, their parents or carers to call the National Drugs Helpline on 0800 776 600; we set up an expert group to consider best practice guidance on the treatment of Crack Cocaine addiction; we are reviewing guidance on heroin prescribing; and also in conjunction with the Department of Health we are implementing a further series of measures to minimise the harm drugs cause.
	We are also reviewing programmes against all Drugs Strategy Targets as part of the work for the Spending Review 2002, to ensure we still have the right balance and focus.

Police Pay

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the recent negotiations about reform of police pay.

John Denham: The package of reforms were agreed in principle in the Police Negotiating Board (PNB) on 27 December 2001 is now the subject of conciliation, as required by the PNB Constitution.

Police Pay

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on police pay.

John Denham: It is for my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary to determine police pay in England and Wales, taking account of any recommendation by the Police Negotiating Board (PNB). The package of reforms agreed in principle in the PNB on 27 December 2001 is now the subject of conciliation, as required by the PNB Constitution.

Prison Service

Jean Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the role of the Prison Service in reducing re-offending.

Beverley Hughes: One of the principal aims of the prison service is to reduce re-offending. In order to provide regimes which are effective at reducing re-offending the Prison Service increasingly draws upon research about "What Works" to develop a more evidence based approach to tackling offending behaviour and the factors which contribute towards re-offending. The recently launched What Works Strategy provides a clear direction for the Prison Service for the further development of constructive regimes to reduce the risk of re-offending. The Prison Service and the Probation Service have been set a challenging but achievable target of reducing the level of predicted reconvictions by five per cent. by 2004.
	The What Works in Prison Strategy encompasses accredited Offending Behaviour Programmes, drug treatment programmes, increased eduction provision with a target of delivering 23,400 accredited education or vocational qualifications in 2001–02 and an associated Custody to Work Strategy, which is investing £30 million between 2001 and 2004 to improve resettlement outcomes.

Travellers

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review guidance to police forces and local authorities on the removal of unauthorised traveller encampments and the tackling of antisocial behaviour by travellers.

John Denham: The Home Office and Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions are currently revising the good practice guidance on managing unauthorised camping to encourage local authorities and police to develop robust strategies to deal with unauthorised encampments and crime and disorder. We are also seeking legislative changes to enable Antisocial Behaviour orders to cover a wider area to help police deal with individual members of the travelling community who persistently engage in antisocial behaviour across the country.

Prison Education

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on education provision in adult prisons in England and Wales.

Beverley Hughes: We are increasing prison education funding by 15 per cent. in real terms over the next two years. We have set challenging basic skills targets for every prison. And we will raise standards and learner achievement by bringing developments in mainstream provision into prisons. For example, prisons are part of a national project to trail diagnostic assessments, curriculum materials and tests in basic skills, including English for Speakers of Other Languages. From April 2002 we will be ensuring that provision meets national standards by introducing the Common Inspection Framework into prisons along with a national strategy to support continuous improvement in prisons.

Crime Statistics

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many notifiable offences of (a) robbery and (b) burglary were recorded by the police on retail petrol stations in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2001; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many police authorities record drive-offs as a discrete category of offence; and what plans he has to standardise recording procedure;
	(3)  how many offences of drive-offs from retail petrol stations were recorded by the police in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001; how many offenders were found guilty of the offence in each year; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many offenders were found guilty, by sex and age, of (a) robbery and (b) burglary on retail petrol stations in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2001; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: Recorded crime and offender statistics collected centrally do not in general include the nature of offences so that offences of making off without payment (bilking), robbery and burglary from petrol stations cannot be distinguished from similar offences at other premises.
	The number of robberies involving firearms in garages and the total number of robberies in business properties are given in the table.
	
		Offences recorded, England and Wales
		
			  Robberies involving firearms in a garage, service station  Robbery of business property 
		
		
			 1998–99 198 10,481 
			 1999–2000 213 12,148 
			 2000–01 219 12,394 
		
	
	We are determined to reduce the number of robberies across the country as a whole. That is why we have given five metropolitan forces, including the Metropolitan police, an additional £20 million specifically to assist their efforts in tackling robbery, and have set them the challenging target of a 14 per cent. reduction of robbery in our principal cities by March 2005. The additional funds have enabled those forces to introduce a number of new initiatives and to reinforce good practice. We are working with those forces to enable us to identify good practice in tackling robbery which we will ensure is disseminated to all forces. We have also published a Robbery Toolkit which is available to all forces and those involved in crime reduction and community safety and will help them to work as effectively as possible in tackling robbery.

Public Appointments

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from Warrington, North he has appointed to non-departmental public bodies since 1997.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 5 March 2002
	This information is not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Violent Crime

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent crimes were recorded in East Sussex in (a) 1997 and (b) 2001.

John Denham: Recorded crime data have historically been collected by police force area. Information on Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership areas has been collected centrally since 1 April 1999, and the figures for the two available years for the areas which comprise East Sussex are given in the table.
	
		Recorded violent crimes in East Sussex, 1999–2000 and 2000–01
		
			 Crime and disorder reduction partnership   Violence against the person  Sexual offences  Robbery  
			 (CDRP) 1999–2000 2000–01 1999–2000 2000–01 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 Eastbourne 1,301 1,232 80 112 87 95 
			 Hastings 1,755 1,881 130 110 134 251 
			 Lewes 690 726 45 40 28 39 
			 Rother 578 552 46 42 26 50 
			 Wealden 780 743 42 37 31 23 
			  
			 East Sussex total(17) 5,104 5,134 343 341 306 458 
		
	
	(17) Brighton and Hove is a unitary authority.
	Information on violent crime recorded in the whole of the Sussex police force area for 1997 and the years ending March 2000 and 2001, the latest available, is as given.
	
		Numbers of recorded violent crimes
		
			 Offence group 1997 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 Violence against the person 6,114 16,924 17,235 
			 Sexual offences 766 1,003 1,029 
			 Robbery 681 1,020 1,241 
		
	
	There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, which expanded the offences covered, and placed a greater emphasis on counting crimes in terms of numbers of victims. Owing to the change, over England and Wales as a whole, the numbers of offences of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery went up by 118 per cent., 4 per cent., and 1 per cent. respectively. Numbers of recorded crimes after this date are therefore not directly comparable with previous years.
	It should be noted that recorded violent crime is subject to changes in reporting and recording. The 2001 British Crime Survey found that, over England and Wales as a whole, reporting to the police of violent offences in total rose from 37 per cent. in 1997 to 45 per cent. in the 2000 calendar year.
	Also, the British Crime Survey has shown that, in England and Wales as a whole, the number of violent crimes recorded in the survey decreased by 23 per cent. between the 1997 and 2000 calendar years, whereas violent crime recorded by the police increased by an estimated 14 per cent. Violent crime recorded by the police may therefore not necessarily be a reflection of real changes in the level of violent crime.

Asylum Accommodation Centres

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who will design the proposed asylum accommodation centres; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: The Home Office intends to place contracts for the design, build and operation of the proposed accommodation centres which will place the responsibility for the design of accommodation centres with the contractor.

Asylum Accommodation Centres

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will announce his preferred sites for asylum accommodation centres.

Angela Eagle: We will announce the preferred sites later in the year, once bids to develop and operate accommodation centres have been evaluated.

Asylum Accommodation Centres

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sites are under consideration for the proposed asylum accommodation centres; and for what reason the sites originally proposed are no longer being so considered.

Angela Eagle: Each of the eight sites referred to in my answer on 11 February 2002, Official Report, column 57W, remains under consideration.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where and when police marksmen were involved in culling animals during the foot and mouth outbreak.

John Denham: holding answer 7 March 2002
	I regret these figures are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The responsibility for culling animals lay with veterinary officers and licensed slaughterers under the control of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Foot and Mouth

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports have been compiled by police forces on police involvement in measures to tackle foot and mouth disease.

John Denham: holding answer 7 March 2002
	Following a national police debrief of the foot and mouth crisis, Suffolk constabulary circulated a report to all forces concerning the difficulties faced by the service during the crisis and making recommendations for improvements. The chief constable of Suffolk has made the document available to me and I am placing a copy in the Library.

Asylum Centre (Edinburgh)

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to build an asylum seekers' centre near Edinburgh; what time scale he is working to; and when he advised (a) official bodies and (b) local residents of his plans.

Angela Eagle: holding answer 1 March 2002
	The Air West Edinburgh (formerly Royal Air Force (RAF) Turnhouse) site is one of eight potential sites presently under consideration for the building of trial accommodation centres for asylum seekers. My noble Friend Lord Rooker wrote to the Scottish First Minister, Jack McConnell, formally informing him of the site on 21 January 2002. My noble Friend has also met the hon. Member for Edinburgh, West (John Barrett) who, together with the planning authority, was advised shortly afterwards. The Home Office interest in the site was then made public. A meeting between Home Office officials and the Edinburgh city council planning department took place on 6 February 2002.
	Preferred locations will be decided upon in the next few months and the Home Office intends to consult widely within the constraints of the planning process, time and departmental resources. This will include public consultations.

Yarl's Wood

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have 
	(1)  been admitted to Yarl's Wood Detention Centre since it opened; and of these how many at the time of entry (a) had removal directions set, (b) had removal directions pending, (c) had appeals pending and (d) were awaiting initial decisions;
	(2)  passed through Yarl's Wood Detention Centre broken down by those who were (a) removed, (b) granted bail, (c) granted temporary admission, (d) transferred to Oakington Detention Centre and (e) transferred to other detention centres.

Angela Eagle: Internal management information, which has not been quality-assured, records that there were 385 individuals held at Yarl's Wood on 14 February 2002. In addition, 764 individuals have passed through the centre since it opened last November. Of those who have passed through the centre, 416 were removed from the United Kingdom and 16 were granted bail. The remaining 332 were given temporary admission, moved to Oakington Reception Centre or transferred to other removal centres.
	Information about the stage reached in the asylum process by each of the 1,149 detainees who had either passed through Yarl's Wood or who were at Yarl's Wood on 14 February 2002 is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by an examination of individual case files.

Criminal Justice and Police Act

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the monitoring systems he has put in place to evaluate the effectiveness of section 71 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of section 71 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001.

John Denham: Section 71 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 came into force on 1 October 2001. Since 1 October, the police have been able to arrest suspected kerb crawlers and hit and run drivers and take them into custody for questioning rather than having to summons them to appear at a magistrates court.
	I am informed by the Metropolitan Police Clubs and Vice Unit that the Metropolitan police have made 221 arrests for the offence of kerb crawling since the implementation of the new power on 1 October 2001.
	As the new powers have only been in force for five months, we have not as yet set up any monitoring systems to assess their effectiveness. However, we intend to write to chief officers of police in the autumn to obtain a picture over a 12-month period of how many arrests there have been, how effective the new arrest powers are and whether any practical difficulties have been experienced.

Prison Population

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the projected change in the prison population is over the next (a) 12 months, (b) two years, and (c) five years; for what reasons the prison population is expected to change over these periods; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Prison population projections are produced every six months; information from the latest projection (November 2001) is provided.
	
		
			  Central population projection Higher population projection 
		
		
			 12 months 69,264 71,785 
			 2 years 72,615 76,068 
			 5 years 77,922 84,501 
		
	
	The main determining factors in the size of the prison population are the numbers of offenders being sentenced at the courts, the proportions given custody, and the average lengths of sentences received. The projections make assumptions about future trends in court sentencing behaviour, based on observed trends in these three areas. The total number of persons sentenced for indictable offences has remained stable over the last eight quarters. Custody rates (the proportion of those sentenced at court who are given immediate custody) have increased for adult males and females, and have decreased for male young offenders. Average sentence lengths have remained stable for adult males, and have increased for young males, and also for females.
	The projections take into account the average year on year changes over the last four quarters for which information is available. Three scenarios, based on different possible sentencing trends at the courts, are used to project forward the prison population. These scenarios apply to prisoners sentenced to four years or less. Prisoners with sentences of four years or greater are assumed to increase in line with the long-term trends. Males are expected to increase by 70 prisoners per month, and females by 20 per month.
	As well as assumptions about court sentencing behaviour, the projections also take into account known changes in legislation and policy. That is, where the proposals are law, that relevant legislation has been enacted, and there is an agreed timetable for implementation. Various changes can act to increase or reduce the prison population. On 1 March 2002 the population had exceeded the higher projection for six weeks. The reasons for this are as yet unclear.

Airguns

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the number of airguns handed in during gun amnesties in the UK;
	(2)  how many air (a) rifles and (b) pistols are legally owned in the UK;
	(3)  how many (a) airguns and (b) pellets were legally sold in each of the last three years in the UK.

Bob Ainsworth: This information is not collected centrally.

Wheel-clamping

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what plans he has to investigate the charges private wheel-clamping companies levy for unclamping cars;
	(2)  what assistance his Department offers (a) the police and (b) local authorities on controlling the activities of wheel-clampers;
	(3)  what plans he has to regulate companies in the wheel-clamping sector;
	(4)  if he will introduce regulations for stricter controls on unlawful wheel-clamping;
	(5)  what advice his Department gives to police authorities on the activities of wheel-clamping companies.

John Denham: Currently there are no regulations relating to clamping on private roads. However, last year the Government introduced the Private Security Industry Act 2001, in part because of concerns about the unscrupulous behaviour of some clamping companies. The Act specifies the creation of a Security Industry Authority. The authority, which will regulate the industry through licensing, will begin operations in 2003; it will have wheel-clamping as one of its priority areas.

Departmental Expenditure

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department (a) budgeted to spend and (b) spent in each of the last six years on entertaining; and if he will break down these figures into categories.

Angela Eagle: pursuant to her reply, 8 February 2002, c.1250
	[holding answer 8 February 2002]: I reported that the costs of entertaining official visitors and guests for the financial year 2000–01 was £143,269; it has since been found that a sum relating to costs of conferences had been incorrectly classified in the accounting system as hospitality costs.
	Expenditure for the year on entertainment was actually £62,410.

WORK AND PENSIONS

SERPS

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and Neston (Mr. Miller) of 5 March 2002, Ref. 40938, if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter and the accompanying leaflet that will be sent to those within 10 years of state pension age, explaining how the changes to inherited SERPS may affect them.

Maria Eagle: The letter and accompanying leaflet have been placed in the Library.

Appeal Costs

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost was of an appeal to (a) a social security appeal tribunal and (b) a child support appeal tribunal, in the latest year for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 26 February 2002
	The average cost of an appeal heard by an appeal tribunal is £139 (excluding first tier agency costs). Separate figures are not available in respect of child support appeals.
	The average first tier agency direct staffing costs of an appeal in respect of Benefits Agency administered benefits is £81.92 and in respect of child support appeals is £136.79.

Long-Stay Hospitals

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what payments are available to patients in long-stay hospitals.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 778W.

Jobcentre Plus

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to introduce additional security measures for benefits offices after screens have been removed; whether these plans include (a) CCTV cameras and (b) security guards; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Brown: holding answer 6 February 2002
	There are no plans to remove protective screens from Benefits Agency offices until they are converted into fully integrated offices of the new Jobcentre Plus service.
	In very Jobcentre Plus area there will continue to be screened provision for dealing with those customers and transactions known to give rise to particular risk. The precise type and location of this provision will depend on the recommendations of the risk assessments carried out in each individual Jobcentre Plus office. We have a zero tolerance policy under which determined action will be taken against anyone threatening or abusing Jobcentre Plus staff.
	56 Jobcentre Plus pathfinder offices are already open and operating effectively—with positive feedback from staff and customers. For each of these offices a full health and safety risk assessment has been conducted and its recommendations implemented in full.
	Examples of measures implemented to support the safety of staff and improved customer service as a result of the risk assessments include:
	Close circuit television;
	Floor managers to greet customers and guide them through their visit;
	Security guards with clear instructions as to when to intervene;
	Screened facilities to deal with situations likely to give rise to particular risk.

Jobcentre Plus

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many prosecutions have been brought against perpetrators of physical assault on Benefits Agency and Employment Service staff in each year since 1997; and how many resulted in successful prosecutions.

Nick Brown: holding answer 5 February 2002
	The majority of prosecutions in cases of physical assault on Benefits Agency and Employment Service staff are criminal prosecutions brought by the police. The Department does not keep statistics on such cases.
	In addition, both the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service refer some cases to the Department's solicitor for consideration of proceedings where the police have decided not to prosecute. The Benefits Agency does not keep statistics on such cases. The Employment Service has referred 13 such cases since 1 April 1996, four of which have resulted in successful prosecution. A yearly breakdown of these cases is in the table.
	
		
			 Year(18) Submitted for prosecution Successful prosecution 
		
		
			 1996–97 4 3 
			 1997–98 4 — 
			 1998–99 1 — 
			 1999–2000 2 — 
			 2000–01 1 1 
		
	
	(18) 1 April to 31 March

Jobcentre Plus

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incidents of (a) verbal assault and (b) physical assault reported in Benefits Agency offices in the last 12 months took place in (i) a reception area, (ii) an unscreened office and (iii) a screened office.

Nick Brown: holding answer 5 February 2002
	The information is in the table.
	
		Benefits Agency incidents (2001)
		
			  Physical assaults Verbal assaults 
		
		
			 Unscreened area 103 914 
			 Screened area 31 1,422 
			 Unknown location 1 43 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figures are based on the number of cases reported so far. Other incidents could have taken place but have not yet been reported.
	2. Of the assaults in known locations, 23 physical assaults and 1,100 verbal assaults occurred in reception. The reception in Benefits Agency offices is generally a screened area.

Visually Impaired People

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if all documentation and forms issued by his Department are available in formats suitable for the visually impaired.

Maria Eagle: The Department is committed to providing accessible information to all its customers and produces a wide range of information in a variety of formats. If a customer with a visual impairment requests a document or form in an alternative format (e.g. braille, large print or audio cassette) every effort is made, both locally and nationally, to provide it.

Pensions

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) male and (b) female pensioners who have retired in each of the past five years have deferred their state basic pension entitlements for sufficient time to claim a pension increment of (i) less than £5 per week, (ii) £5 to £10 a week and (iii) exceeding £10 a week at present rates of payment; and how many such pensioners retired without such an increment.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 31 January 2002
	The information is not available in the format requested. The available information is in the table:
	
		Number of pensioners in receipt of retirement pension on the dates shown, by amount of deferred retirement increment received and gender—Great Britain -- Thousands
		
			  Total with incs Less than £5 Between £5 and £10 More than £10 Total without incs 
		
		
			 March 1996  
			 All 1,155.2 653.3 270.4 231.5 8,551.2 
			 Male 290.6 135.4 60.5 94.8 3,123.5 
			 Female 864.6 517.9 209.9 136.8 5,427.8 
			 March 1997  
			 All 1,100.8 607.4 260.7 232.7 8,738.0 
			 Male 266.6 120.6 55.1 90.9 3,234.0 
			 Female 834.2 486.8 205.6 141.8 5,504.0 
			 March 1998  
			 All 1,056.0 576.5 250.5 229.1 8,914.5 
			 Male 247.3 110.2 50.8 86.3 3,335.9 
			 Female 808.7 466.3 199.7 142.7 5,578.8 
			  September 1999
			 All 980.4 517.6 229.5 233.2 9,150.8 
			 Male 218.6 92.3 44.4 81.9 3,483.2 
			 Female 761.8 425.3 185.1 151.3 5,667.6 
			 March 2000  
			 All 965.3 510.1 227.3 227.9 9,185.5 
			 Male 210.5 88.8 42.8 78.9 3,511.9 
			 Female 754.8 421.3 184.5 149.0 5,673.6 
			 March 2001  
			 All 934.3 490.7 222.7 220.9 9,266.5 
			 Male 196.5 82.3 40.1 74.1 3,561.2 
			 Female 737.8 408.3 182.6 146.8 5,705.2 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	3. Increments include basic retirement pension increments and additional pension increments payable.
	4. Analysis has shown that increments data for March 1999 are not reliable therefore September has been used for that year.
	5. Excludes overseas cases.
	Source:
	Five per cent. sample from the Pension Strategy Computer System at March in each year, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2001. Data for 1999 are at September of that year.

Pensioner Incomes

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) mean level of income of each decile of people of working age and (b) overall mean income was in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what the (i) mean level of income of each decile of pensioners and (ii) overall mean income of pensioners was in the same period.

Nick Brown: holding answer 5 March 2002
	Such information as is available is in the tables.
	Equivalised money values of decile median income, and overall mean income, for working age adults and pensioners in December 2000 prices, including the self- employed.
	
		£pw 
		
			  Working age adults Pensioners 
		
		
			  Income before housing costs 
			 Decile 1 Bottom 10% 116 123 
			 Decile 2 10–20% 165 155 
			 Decile 3 20–30% 199 179 
			 Decile 4 30–40% 237 199 
			 Decile 5 40–50% 278 221 
			 Decile 6 50–60% 321 244 
			 Decile 7 60–70% 372 277 
			 Decile 8 70–80% 435 322 
			 Decile 9 80–90% 524 391 
			 Decile 10 90–100% 755 573 
			 Total population (Mean) 363 284 
			
			  Income after housing costs 
			 Decile 1 Bottom 10% 75 102 
			 Decile 2 10–20% 119 130 
			 Decile 3 20–30% 154 146 
			 Decile 4 30–40% 194 166 
			 Decile 5 40–50% 235 193 
			 Decile 6 50–60% 276 222 
			 Decile 7 60–70% 322 259 
			 Decile 8 70–80% 380 301 
			 Decile 9 80–90% 462 377 
			 Decile 10 90–100% 678 562 
			 Total population (Mean) 311 260 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All figures are estimates and are taken from the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data set which is derived from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The FRS does not include Northern Ireland and 1999–2000 is the latest year for which data are available.
	2. The estimates are sample counts, which have been adjusted for non-response using multipurpose grossing factors that control for tenure, council tax band and a number of other variables. Estimates are subject to both sampling error and to variability in non-response and are presented on both a Before Housing Costs (BHC) and an After Housing Costs (AHC) basis in line with HBAI conventions.
	3. The income measure used is weekly net (disposable) equivalised household income, that is to say income that is adjusted to reflect the composition of the household. This process reflects the common sense notion that a family of several people needs a higher income than a single person in order for both households to enjoy a comparable standard of living. Equivalence scales conventionally take a couple with no children as a reference point, with the cash incomes of larger households adjusted downwards, and smaller households upwards, relative to this benchmark. The income figures quoted therefore relate to the 'cash' income of a couple with no children only, and the equivalisation process must be reversed in order for them to be converted into cash incomes for other family types.
	Source:
	Family Resources Survey

Hospital Patients (Benefits)

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many patients in long stay hospitals and nursing homes in Scotland are in receipt of benefits, broken down by benefits accessed.

Ian McCartney: The information requested is not available. Such information as is available is set out in the tables:
	
		Income support claimants in Scotland in residential care/nursing home or in hospital for more than 52 weeks, August 2001 -- Thousand
		
			 Circumstance type Number of claimants 
		
		
			 All 26.5 
			 Residential care homes 3.1 
			 Private nursing homes 1.2 
			 Part III 1.3 
			 Hospital personal allowance (over 52 weeks) (19)0.4 
			 Residential allowance 20.4 
		
	
	(19) Figure based on a very few sample cases and therefore subject to a high degree of sampling error and should be used as a guide to the current situation only.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	2. Figure has been rounded to the nearest hundred and quoted in thousands.
	Source:
	Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiry, August 2001.
	
		Incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance and retirement pension recipients who have been in hospital for more than 52 weeks -- Thousand
		
			  Number of recipients 
		
		
			 Incapacity benefit (20)0.4 
			 Severe disablement allowance 1.5 
			 Retirement pension 3.2 
		
	
	(20) Figure based on a very few sample cases and therefore subject to a high degree of sampling error and should be used as a guide to the current situation only.
	Notes:
	1. All 5 per cent. samples are subject to sampling error.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. Figures exclude Channel Islands and overseas cases.
	Sources:
	1. IB and SDA figures are taken from a 5 per cent. sample of the benefit computer system and exclude a small number of cases held clerically. Figures are expressed as thousands and are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. Pension Strategy Computer System at 30 September 2001 based on a 5 per cent. sample.

Hospital Patients (Benefits)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 11 December 2001, Official Report, column 43W, on hospital stays, when his Department will announce the result of its consideration of the rules governing the docking of benefits for hospital in-patients.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 778W.

Doctors' Handwriting

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to require doctors to produce evidence that is typed instead of handwritten in hearings of appeals of disability claims to the tribunal service.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Medical Services are aware of problems with the legibility of some doctors' handwriting. They are currently developing a computer supported system for use in Personal Capability Assessments produced in examination centres which will generate typed reports, underpinned by the principles of an evidence-based medicine approach to the assessment.
	Medical reports for disability living allowance and attendance allowance are undertaken in the claimant's home. Computer generated reports in these circumstances are not a feasible option at present. The Department is undertaking a review of the current report form and will ensure that the format of the new report assists in legible completion. Where a decision-maker is unable to read a report it is returned to Medical Services for clarification.

Linked Benefits

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list all linked benefits available automatically to those entitled to certain means-tested benefits, stating the qualifications for entitlement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 11 February 2002
	People who receive either income support or income- based jobseeker's allowance are entitled to apply for the following additional benefits.
	Free milk and vitamins are available to people who are pregnant or who have a child under 5 years. Where a person has dependant children in full-time education they are entitled to free school meals. People who have savings of less than £8,000, or £12,000 if aged 60 or over, are entitled to free national health service (NHS) prescriptions, dental treatment, wigs, fabric supports, sight tests, money-off vouchers for glasses and help with the cost of travel to hospital for NHS treatment.
	For those people who have a close relative or partner in prison help with the cost of travel to visit them is available. Assistance can also be given to someone who is not a close relative or partner where they are the only adult visitor.
	In addition, pensioners, disabled people and families with young children receiving income support or income- based jobseeker's allowance qualify for cold weather payments. These payments are made automatically if the average temperature at a specified meteorological weather station has been recorded, or is forecast to be, zero degrees celsius or below over seven consecutive days.
	A variety of local government schemes and benefits are also available to people on low incomes. Details of these schemes are not collected centrally.

Housing Benefit

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of possession proceedings for rent arrears in local authority and RSL accommodation related to tenants who have had their benefit reduced as a result of one or more non-dependent deductions in the last 12 months for which figures are available; what the average age is of housing benefit claimants affected by non-dependent deductions; what percentage of housing benefit claimants affected by non-dependent deductions are (a) registered disabled, (b) over 60 years old, (c) in receipt of income support or JSA and (d) lone parents; and what estimate he has made of the percentage of housing benefit claimants affected by non-dependant deductions who are left with a disposable income below income support level, once the non-dependent deduction has been taken into account.

Malcolm Wicks: We believe it is right that adult members of a household who are not eligible for housing benefit should contribute towards the cost of rent where they are financially able to do so. Non-dependent deductions are designed to reduce housing benefit to take account of the contribution towards rent that other members of the household should make. We would therefore expect any shortfall in housing benefit resulting from a non-dependent deduction could be met by the non-dependant person.
	The available information is in the table.
	
		Percentage of housing benefit cases in which non-dependent deductions have been applied—May 2000
		
			 Client group—Great Britain Percentage 
		
		
			 (a) Receiving a disability premium 3 
			 (b) Aged 60 and over 5 
			 (c) Income support/income-based jobseeker's allowance 4 
			 (d) Lone parents 3 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Housing benefit recipients may fall into more than one client group so there may be overlaps between each client group.
	2. The figures are based on a 1 per cent. sample and are subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	3. The data refer to housing benefit recipients which may be a single person, a couple or a family. More than one benefit recipient can live in one property, for example two or more adults in a flat or house share.
	4. The percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
	5. The average age of housing benefit recipients affected by non-dependant deductions is 59 years.
	Source:
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2000

Benefit Appeals

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the proportion of rejected benefit claims where the appellant was represented was (a) in the UK and (b) in the west midlands in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The available information is in the tables.
	
		Appeals heard where the appellant was represented, for all benefits: 1 November 2000 to 31 October 2001
		
			  Case Load All attendances Representative attended Percentage where appellant was represented 
		
		
			 Attendance allowance 1,294,300 7,135 5,455 76.4 
			 Child benefit/one parent benefit 7,102,800 215 70 33.2 
			 Council tax benefit 4,651,000 20 5 33.3 
			 Disability living allowance 2,271,100 73,500 48,405 65.9 
			 Disability working allowance/DPTC 28,900 100 45 44.9 
			 Family credit/WFTC 1,224,800 560 165 29.5 
			 Housing benefit 3,854,000 155 80 50.6 
			 Housing/council tax benefit n/a 105 45 41.1 
			 Incapacity benefit (personal capability assessment) n/a 22,175 11,385 51.3 
			 Incapacity benefit (not personal capability assessment) n/a 2,580 1,300 50.4 
			 Personal capability assessment (not incapacity benefit) n/a 515 225 44.2 
			 Income support 3,914,500 10,310 5,280 51.2 
			 Industrial death benefit 14,000 5 (21)— (21)— 
			 Industrial injuries disablement benefit 280,800 16,180 8,875 54.9 
			 Invalid care allowance 379,800 515 275 53.5 
			 Jobseekers allowance 966,500 3,495 945 27.0 
			 Maternity allowance 16,300 25 (21)— (21)— 
			 Retirement pension 11,067,100 645 215 33.3 
			 Severe disablement allowance 365,800 1,215 545 44.9 
			 Widows benefit/bereavement benefit 255,500 305 120 39.9 
			 Others (extinct/rare benefits) n/a 115 65 56.4 
		
	
	(21) Nil or negligible
	Notes:
	1. All appeals figures are provisional and subject to change as more up to date data become available.
	2. Case load figures are expressed in thousands and have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. Appeals figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	4. All case load figures are for Great Britain, except DWA/DPTC/FC/WFTC, which are United Kingdom.
	Sources:
	1. AA, CHB, DLA IB, SDA, MA figures are current at 31 August 2001, from 5 per cent. sample of data.
	2. IS quarterly statistical enquiries, November 2000 to August 2001.
	3. JSA quarterly statistical enquiries, November 2000 to August 2001.
	4. ICA current at 30 September 2001, 100 per cent. data.
	5. IDB current at December 2000, 100 per cent. data.
	6. IIDB assessments at 1 April 2000 from 10 per cent. sample data.
	7. DWA/DPTC current at July 2001, supplied by Inland Revenue.
	8. FC/WFTC current at 31 March 2001, supplied by Inland Revenue.
	9. RP/WB current at 31 March 2001, from 5 per cent. sample data.
	10. CTB/HB current at August 2001, 100 per cent. stock count. Approximately 80 per cent of housing benefit recipients also receive council tax benefit.
	11. Appeals figures are from a 100 per cent. down load of the generic appeals processing system.
	
		Appeals heard where the appellant was represented, for all benefits processed through the Birmingham regional centre: 1 November 2000 to 31 October 2001
		
			  All attendances Representative attended Percentage where appellant was represented 
		
		
			 Attendance allowance 635 420 66.2 
			 Child benefit/one parent benefit 20 5 26.3 
			 Council tax benefit (22)— (22)— (22)— 
			 Disability living allowance 5,935 3,570 60.2 
			 Disability working allowance/DPTC 10 5 50.0 
			 Family credit/WFTC 55 15 25.5 
			 Housing benefit 15 10 53.3 
			 Housing/council tax benefit 10 (22)— (22)— 
			 Incapacity benefit (personal capability assessment) 1,495 720 48.2 
			 Incapacity benefit (not personal capability assessment) 175 75 43.8 
			 Personal capability assessment (not incapacity benefit) 70 35 48.5 
			 Income support 1,090 560 51.5 
			 Industrial death benefit (22)— (22)— (22)— 
			 Industrial injuries disablement benefit 860 370 42.9 
			 Invalid care allowance 40 15 39.5 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 395 120 29.7 
			 Maternity allowance (22)— (22)— (22)— 
			 Retirement pension 110 45 41.7 
			 Severe disablement allowance 105 35 35.2 
			 Widows benefit/bereavement benefit 45 20 44.2 
			 Others (extinct/rare benefits) 10 (22)— (22)— 
		
	
	(22) Nil or negligible
	Notes:
	1. All appeals figures are provisional and subject to change as more up to date data become available.
	2. Appeals figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	3. Representative figures may include cases where the appellant also attended.
	4. Figures where the appellant was there alone have not been included.
	Source:
	100 per cent. down load of the generic appeals processing system.

Benefit Appeals

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the percentage success rate of appeals against rejected benefit claims was (a) in the UK and (b) in the west midlands in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The available information is in the tables.
	
		Appeals cleared and the number found in favour of the appellant during the period 1 November 2000 to 31 October 2001 expressed as a percentage of the case load
		
			  Case Load(23) Appeals cleared at hearing Appeals found in favour Appeals found in favour of the appellant as a percentage of case load 
		
		
			 Attendance allowance 1,294,300 11,570 5,355 0.4 
			 Child benefit/one parent benefit 7,102,800 605 75 0.0 
			 Council tax benefit 4,651,000 50 10 0.0 
			 Disability living allowance 2,271,100 90,505 46,815 2.1 
			 Disability working allowance/DPTC 28,900 165 45 0.1 
			 Family credit/WFTC 1,224,800 1,500 265 0.0 
			 Housing benefit 3,854,000 205 65 0.0 
			 Housing/council tax benefit combined n/a 155 55 n/a 
			 Incapacity benefit (personal capability assessment) n/a 30,200 12,870 n/a 
			 Incapacity benefit (not personal capability assessment) n/a 4,010 1,430 n/a 
			 Total incapacity benefit 2,337,800 34,215 14,305 0.6 
			 Personal capability assessment (not incapacity benefit) n/a 800 295 n/a 
			 Income support 3,914,500 19,100 5,350 0.1 
			 Industrial death benefit 14,000 5 5 0.0 
			 Industrial injuries disablement benefit 280,000 18,455 7,490 2.7 
			 Invalid care allowance 379,800 920 210 0.1 
			 Jobseekers allowance 966,500 9,125 2,380 0.2 
			 Maternity allowance 16,300 70 15 0.1 
			 Retirement pension 11,067,100 1,285 150 0.0 
			 Severe disablement allowance 365,800 1,825 755 0.2 
			 Widows benefit/bereavement benefit 255,500 635 80 0.0 
			 Others (extinct/rare benefits) n/a 250 40 n/a 
		
	
	(23) AA, CHB, DLA, IB, SDA, MA figures are current at 31 August 2001, from 5 per cent. sample of data.
	Notes:
	1. All appeals figures are provisional and subject to change as more up to date data become available.
	2. Case load figures are expressed in thousands and have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. All case load figures are for Great Britain, except DWA/DPTC/FC/WFTC, which are United Kingdom.
	4. Appeals figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	Sources:
	1. IS quarterly statistical enquiries, November 2000 to August 2001.
	2. JSA quarterly statistical enquiries, November 2000 to August 2001.
	3. ICA current at 30 September 2001, from 100 per cent. data.
	4. IDB current at December 2000, from 100 per cent. data.
	5. IIDB assessments at 1 April 2000 from 10 per cent. sample data.
	6. DWA/DPTC current at July 2001, supplied by Inland Revenue.
	7. FC/WFTC current at August 2001, supplied by Inland Revenue.
	8. RP/WB current at 31 March 2001, from 5 per cent. sample data.
	9. CTB/HB current at August 2001, 100 per cent. stock count. Approximately 80 per cent. of housing benefit recipients also receive council tax benefit.
	10. Appeals figures are from a 100 per cent. down load of the generic appeals processing system.
	
		Appeals cleared and the number found in favour of the appellant for all benefit appeals processed through the Birmingham regional centre: 1 November 2000 to 31 October 2001
		
			  Appeals cleared at hearing Appeals found in favour 
		
		
			 Attendance allowance 1,185 455 
			 Child benefit/one parent benefit 65 10 
			 Council tax benefit 10 0 
			 Disability living allowance 8,370 3,640 
			 Disability working allowance/DPTC 20 5 
			 Family credit/WFTC 155 25 
			 Housing benefit 20 5 
			 Housing/council tax benefit 10 0 
			 Incapacity benefit (personal capability assessment) 2,285 880 
			 Incapacity benefit (not personal capability assessment) 355 95 
			 Personal capability assessment (not incapacity benefit) 100 40 
			 Income support 1,985 580 
			 Industrial death benefit 0 0 
			 Industrial injuries disablement benefit 1,125 530 
			 Invalid care allowance 100 20 
			 Jobseeker's allowance 1,125 280 
			 Maternity allowance 10 0 
			 Retirement pension 160 25 
			 Severe disablement allowance 160 65 
			 Widows benefit/bereavement benefit 80 10 
			 Others (extinct/rare benefits) 20 0 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All figures are provisional and subject to change as more up to date data become available.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	3. '0' indicates figures are nil or negligible.
	Source:
	100 per cent. down load of the generic appeals processing system.

TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE REGIONS

Channel Tunnel Rail Link

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has for infrastructure works on the channel tunnel route to (a) alleviate the effects of and (b) reduce the number of conflicting moves in the area between Charing Cross and Hither Green; and what is the (i) status of, (ii) start date of and (iii) expected completion date for such works.

Stephen Byers: Significant capacity on the existing network will be freed up in 2007, when the channel tunnel rail link (CTRL) is planned to open. A new franchise, independent of the Connex South Eastern franchise, will offer fast domestic services on the CTRL from Kent, with new trains, and will contribute to major reduction in overcrowding. A franchise proposal for such services will be published later this year.

Rail Industry Group

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 8 February 2002, Official Report, column 1189W, on Railtrack, if he will list those circumstances on which the Rail Industry Group has been called to meet to date; what changes have been made to the possessions regime; and if he will list the groups set up to tackle skills shortages, broken down by skills shortages to be tackled.

David Jamieson: The Rail Industry Group meets on an ad hoc basis.
	A Possessions Working Group, reporting to the Rail Industry Group (RIG), recommended changes to the possessions planning process to improve efficiency and flexibility. These were accepted. Detailed implementation is an operational matter for Railtrack.
	Under the auspices of RIG three work streams covering all the main skills areas in the industry are being taken forward. These are manpower planning, training and development, and attraction recruitment and retention.

Job Advertisements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the job advertisements placed by his Department in the last 12 months specifying where the advertisements were placed and the cost in each case.

Alan Whitehead: This Department advertised 27 specialist and 190 generalist posts in the last 12 months. The advertisements were placed in a variety of national newspapers as well as in specialist journals and on a number of websites. The total cost of advertising was £175,000.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which contractual safety cases for each infrastructure company have (a) been conducted and (b) will be conducted by the Health and Safety Executive relating to the London Underground PPP; what timetable for assessment is being followed; and if he will place in the Library all related documentation.

David Jamieson: The Health and Safety Executive has accepted three successive versions of London Underground's safety case during the development of the tube modernisation plans. HSE is now considering a revised safety case covering the involvement of the private sector. The contractual safety cases of the infrastructure companies are interdependent on London Underground's safety case, and under the relevant regulations are not subject to HSE acceptance. However, HSE's assessment of the London Underground's case includes consideration of the adequacy of arrangements to control the infrastructure companies through their contractual safety cases.
	I understand that completion of HSE's assessment will depend on how quickly LUL is able to respond satisfactorily to the issues raised so far. HSE will release its assessment and acceptance reports when an acceptance decision is taken.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will (a) list the titles and (b) provide details of the length of the document supplied to his Department making up the contracts tendered by bidders Metronet and tube lines wishing to enter into a public-private partnership with London Underground.

David Jamieson: London Underground is responsible for the development of PPP contracts for the modernisation of the underground's infrastructure.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what the anticipated (a) public resource, (b) public investment, (c) public resource supporting private investment and (d) private investment for the London Underground PPP is during (i) zero to seven and a half years, (ii) seven and a half years to the end of the 10-year Transport Plan period and (iii) the remainder of the contracts beyond the end of the 10-year Transport Plan period;
	(2)  what the total level of private investment (a) expected and (b) required under contract with the Infracos for the London Underground PPP is; and what restrictions are placed on the procurement of finance by Infracos (i) within the first seven and a half years of the contract and (ii) in the remainder of the contracts after seven and a half years.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the statement my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made to the House on 7 February 2002, Official Report, columns 1126–28.
	London Underground is finalising contract terms with bidders on each of the three contracts. At the same time, the Government are discussing with Transport for London the greatly increased level of public grant with which it intends to support the tube modernisation programme. I understand that London Underground intends to make the contracts publicly available following completion of the competitions. Information on the expected level of investment and grant will also be made publicly available at that stage.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what responsibility his Department (a) has had and (b) will have relating to the development of the PPP contracts for the modernisation of London Underground's infrastructure.

David Jamieson: The Secretary of State has powers under section 212 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to designate contracts as PPP agreements.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what powers he has to (a) place into administration and (b) take over work from the London Underground PPP Infracos; and under what circumstances he envisages it may be necessary to carry out such action.

David Jamieson: In relation to (a), I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 4 March 2002, Official Report, column 85W.
	In relation to (b), the Secretary of State has no such powers.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions against what (a) test and (b) definition he measured the London Underground PPP to ensure that the plans did not involve privatisation.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 4 March 2002, Official Report, column 88W.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 4 March 2002, Official Report, column 85W, on London Underground real estate and property, (a) by whom and (b) how the length of leases of infrastructure were measured as appropriate and necessary; what involvement is meant by the phrase, interest in the infrastructure; and by whom, and against what criteria, sufficient interest has been and will be measured.

David Jamieson: Details of the leases required for the plans for the modernisation of the underground are a matter for London Underground.

London Underground

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 4 March 2002, Official Report, column 85W, on contracts with Infracos, what the safety changes and qualifying law changes will include; and what the reasons are for the change in level of financing for these changes in the final contracts.

David Jamieson: London Underground is responsible for the development of contracts for the modernisation of the underground' infrastructure, including detailed provisions on safety change and qualifying change of law. I understand that London Underground concluded the revised level of and mechanism for financing would provide better value for money and a greater total of finance available for such changes. I understand that London Underground intends to make the contractual documentation publicly available following completion of the competitions.

Railway Industry

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 25 February 2002, ref 35798, columns 790–91W, who has been appointed as compliance officer; and what contractual agreement exists between his Department and that person.

David Jamieson: My Department has appointed Roger Clarke, a retired senior civil servant and a Chartered Arbitrator, as Compliance Officer. He is engaged under the terms of a contract, the details of which are exempt information.

Railway Industry

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how long he expects it will take to establish an SPV on the railways once the specification for a project has been agreed.

Stephen Byers: This will be determined by the commercial negotiations required in each particular case.

Railway Industry

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he plans to make a statement on the future of Central Railway.

John Spellar: Shortly.

Driving Licences

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many people applied for driving licences in the United Kingdom in each year since 1990.

David Jamieson: The information requested is as follows:
	The Department does not record the number of driving licences applied for. DVLA records show the following driving licensing transactions processed (including Northern Ireland).
	
		Million 
		
			 Financial year Transaction volumes 
		
		
			 1990–91 6.35 
			 1991–92 7.00 
			 1992–93 6.52 
			 1993–94 6.51 
			 1994–95 6.46 
			 1995–96 6.67 
			 1996–97 6.93 
			 1997–98 7.00 
			 1998–99 6.40 
			 1999–2000 5.55 
			 2000–01 5.53

Local Government Finance

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the real terms cash and percentage increase in the (a) standard spending assessment between 1997–98 and 2001–02, (b) revenue support grant between 1997–98 and 2001–02, (c) total external support between 1997–98 and 2001–02 and (d) aggregate external finance between 1997–98 and 2001–02 broken down by (i) unitary, (ii) shire county, (iii) shire district, (iv) metropolitan district and (v) London borough council.

Alan Whitehead: The following table provides the information requested. The increases have been expressed at 2001–02 prices based on the GDP deflator.
	
		
			  Standard spending assessment Revenue support grant Total external support(24) Aggregate external finance(25)  
			  Type of authority Cash increase (£ million) Percentage increase Cash increase (£ million) Percentage increase Cash increase (£ million) Percentage increase Cash increase (£ million) Percentage increase 
		
		
			 Unitary authorities 3,164.234 75.7 1,265.017 65.1 2,316.131 71.8 2,912.769 86.0 
			 Shire counties -456.964 -2.7 -869.549 -12.8 -714.618 -5.8 309.337 2.4 
			 Shire districts -255.264 -10.2 -193.001 -22.5 -227.567 -13.0 -204.072 -11.2 
			 Metropolitan districts 939.589 9.8 329.660 6.6 674.745 8.8 1,455.243 17.9 
			 London boroughs(26) 659.821 9.0 89.866 2.2 320.230 5.5 1,013.070 16.4 
		
	
	(24) Revenue Support Grant plus redistributed national non-domestic rates plus SSA Reduction Grant (SSA Review) plus SSA Reduction Grant (Police Funding Review) plus Central Support Protection Grant plus principal formula Police Grant.
	(25) Total External Support plus the City Offset plus Neighbourhood Renewal Fund plus other special and specific grants within AEF. The data on the other special and specific grants within AEF have been collated from statistical returns supplied by local authorities to DTLR, the other data come from administrative records held by DTLR.
	(26) Includes City of London.
	Between 1997–98 and 2001–02, the last round of local government reorganisation took place. In 1997–98, there were 27 unitary councils, 35 shire counties and 260 shire districts. In 2001–02, there were 46 unitary councils, 34 shire counties and 238 shire districts.
	Also, between 1997–98 and 2001–02 there have been a number of changes in the function and funding of local authorities, for example in the way education for four-year-olds was funded.
	It is not possible to calculate data for 1997–98 on a like-for-like basis with 2001–02. The data in the table do not make any allowance for local authority reorganisation or these changes in function or funding and the figures should therefore be treated with caution.

Local Government Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the White Paper on modernising local government finance will be published.

Alan Whitehead: holding answer 6 March 2002
	The Government's proposals for reforming the local government finance system were published on 11 December 2001 in Part 2 of our White Paper "Strong Local Leadership—Quality Public Services". Copies are available in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Policies

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what funding his Department has provided to the cities of (a) London and (b) Westminster in the years 1992–93 to 2001–02, including grants and borrowing approvals for revenue and capital expenditure.

Alan Whitehead: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Disabled Rail Passengers

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 11 February 2002, Official Report, column 20W, on disabled rail passengers, where the revised code was published; and if he will place the revised code in the Library.

David Jamieson: The revised code of practice is available on request from the Strategic Rail Authority and is also on their website. I have placed copies in the Libraries of the House.

Departmental Staff

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what proportion of staff in his Department are dedicated to (a) roads, (b) rail, (c) aviation and (d) other forms of transport.

Alan Whitehead: The tables give the proportion of permanent and casual staff (full-time equivalents) who are dedicated to (a) roads, (b) rail, (c) aviation and (d) other forms of transport, for DTLR(C) including GOs and the DTLR agencies. It takes no account of staff employed by other bodies, such as the Strategic Rail Authority, the Office of Rail Regulator or the Civil Aviation Authority.
	This information excludes staff working on cross modal transport issues.
	
		DTLR(C) and GOs—4,270 staff
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 Roads 11.5 
			 Rail 1.9 
			 Aviation 4.4 
			 Other forms of transport 5.0 
			  
			 Total 22.8 
		
	
	
		Executive agencies—13,070 staff
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 Roads(27) 78.7 
			 Rail 0 
			 Aviation 0 
			 Other forms of transport(28) 8 
			  
			 Total 86.7 
		
	
	(27) Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Driving Standards Agency, Highways Agency, Vehicle Certification Agency and Vehicle Inspectorate.
	(28) Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
	All total figures are based on the Cabinet Office staff in post and diversity statistics for October 2001, published on 21 February 2002.

Form SP3

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many organisations are being asked to complete form SP3.

Alan Whitehead: I understand that SP3 is a form used by the Patent Office and as such is not a matter for my Department.

National Air Traffic Services

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 806W, on NATS, if he will break down the costs of setting up the NATS PPP into the main heads of expenditure; what sums were paid to advisers; and who they were.

David Jamieson: The Government's principal advisers on the NATS PPP were Credit Suisse First Boston, Slaughter and May and Deloitte and Touche. Insignia Richard Ellis, Ove Arup and Real Time Engineering also provided specialist advice. A total of £18.2 million has been paid in fees to these companies.
	Total payments of £8.4 million and £23 million have been made to the CAA and NATS respectively, representing costs necessarily incurred by those organisations in preparing for the PPP. Other more minor items of expenditure account for the remaining £2.6 million.

National Air Traffic Services

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 806W, in relation to the staff share allocation scheme in relation to the NATS PPP, how the valuation of shares will be calculated; by whom; what arrangements will be made for valuing shares of staff who leave; and by how much the shares have changed in value since they were allocated on 21 September 2001.

David Jamieson: These are matters for NATS and NATS Employee Share Trust Ltd.

National Air Traffic Services

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in relation to the NATS PPP, what pension arrangements were made for (a) those employees formerly employed by the CAA and (b) new employees of the NATS PPP.

David Jamieson: NATS employees formerly employed by the CAA retain the right to remain in the Civil Aviation Authority Pension Scheme (CAAPS). The pension arrangements of persons employed by NATS Ltd subsequent to the establishment of the PPP are a matter for that company.

Transport 10-Year Plan

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2002, ref. 37227, columns 1207–08W, on the 10-year plan, if he will state (a) the time scale over which this review will take place, (b) the parties who will be involved in this review and (c) when the outcomes of this review will be made available.

David Jamieson: We will be undertaking the first of the planned periodic reviews of the 10-year plan for transport over the next few months in conjunction with the Government spending review, as envisaged in the plan itself. The review will give an update on progress towards the objectives set out in the plan and provides an opportunity to take account of new developments since its publication.
	In carrying out the review we will be drawing on information and feedback from a wide range of sources, including forthcoming reports from the House of Commons Transport Sub-Committee and the Commission for Integrated Transport. There is no fixed timetable for the review, but we currently expect to publish the results in July.

En Route Centre, Swanwick

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the total internal costs, as defined in the Arthur D. Little report, of the New En Route Centre at Swanwick were up until the operational start date of the centre; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: Arthur D. Little (ADL) estimated that £76 million to £86 million would be incurred on the Swanwick project in direct internal NATS project management costs and Swanwick staff costs from project initiation until the operational date. ADL assumed that the centre would be operational from November 2001. In the event, the Swanwick Centre successfully entered operational service on 27 January 2002. Including this additional period, direct internal costs were £93.6 million.

Job Sharing

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the extent of job sharing in his Department.

Alan Whitehead: Approximately 8 per cent. of DTLR central staff work part-time. Of these, a smaller percentage job share. Information specifically on job sharers is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Job sharing forms just one strand of a range of possible alternative and flexible working arrangements. Other options include home working and flexitime. Under DTLR central posting arrangements, all posts are open to part-time workers or job sharers. The central Department supports a part-time workers network and operates a job share register to assist staff in identifying job share partners.
	The DTLR agencies, in almost all cases, also operate a policy of advertising all posts as open to part-time workers or job sharers. All operate a range of flexible working options. Several also support part-time working or carers networks.

Cross-channel Freight

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the decision by EWS to reduce its cross- channel freight business.

David Jamieson: EWS has made no such decision. The current reductions in cross-channel rail freight result from decisions taken by SNCF since November 2001 in the light of attacks on their staff at Fréthun.
	The Government are pressing the French Government at the highest levels to provide adequate policing resources at Fréthun to support the anti-intrusion measures already being installed by SNCF in order to address the disruption to channel tunnel services caused by would-be illegal immigrants.

Rail Services (South-west)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the Strategic Rail Authority's funding approach to the south-west.

David Jamieson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Mr. Robertson) on 24 January 2002, Official Report, column 1052W.

Local Government Finance

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much (a) capital and (b) revenue funding has been made available for local government services in Liverpool in each year since 1997.

Alan Whitehead: Liverpool city council have reported the following funding from central Government:
	
		Revenue and capital grants paid to Liverpool city council -- £000
		
			  Outturn Budget 
			   1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Revenue funding  
			 Specific and special grants inside AEF(29) 18,192 20,488 20,132 42,626 71,010 
			 Revenue support grant 263,399 284,715 296,909 298,271 311,827 
			 Redistributed non-domestic rates 102,791 106,533 114,392 128,468 124,481 
			   
			 Revenue grants paid into GFRA(30) 384,382 411,736 431,433 469,365 507,318 
			   
			 Capital funding  
			 Credit approvals 17,995 27,823 30,565 40,082 25,010 
			 Central Government grants(31) 18,259 22,190 19,125 17,958 11,266 
			  
			 Total funding 420,636 461,749 481,123 527,405 543,594 
		
	
	(29) Aggregate external finance (AEF) is central Government support towards total standard spending. It comprises RSG, NNDR, and certain specific, supplementary and special grants. Within specific grants inside AEF, reported standards fund grant increased from about £2 million in 1999–2000 to about £20 million in 2000–01, and Neighbourhood Renewal Fund was budgeted to be £10.006 million in 2001–02.
	(30) This includes all revenue grants paid into the General Fund Revenue Account (GFRA), but may exclude certain public funding, for example from some non-departmental public bodies, which is recorded as income and is not separately identifiable.
	(31) Includes capital grants from all central Government Departments (including specified capital grants) but excludes capital grants from the European Union, non-departmental public bodies, and the National Lottery.
	Sources:
	Revenue Summary and GFRA Budget Estimates return. Capital Outturn returns and Capital Estimate return.

Departmental Underspend

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 27 February 2002, Official Report, column 1367W, on departmental underspend, if he will list (a) the relevant editions of the Public Expenditure Provisional Outturn Paper to which he refers and (b) the written answers to which he refers; for what reason it is not possible to provide separate figures in respect of rail expenditure; and if he will place copies related documentation in the Library.

Alan Whitehead: Provisional outturn against cash limits, and departmental expenditure limits which replaced cash limits in 1999–2000, for the financial years 1997–98 to 2000–01 is published in the following editions of the Public Expenditure Provisional Outturn White Paper:
	1997–98: Cm 3988
	1998–99: Cm 4416
	1999–2000: Cm4812
	2000–01: Cm 5243.
	Written answers announcing amounts taken up under end year flexibility (EYF) arrangements, in respect of unspent provision in 1997–98 and later years, are:
	3 November 1998, Official Report, columns 463–65W
	11 February 1999, Official Report, columns 311–14W
	30 March 1999, Official Report, columns 580–81W
	5 November 1999, Official Report, columns 346–49W
	7 February 2000, Official Report, columns 18–23W
	31 March 2000, Official Report, columns 223–24W
	13 June 2000, Official Report, columns 557–58W
	9 November 2000, Official Report, columns 350–54W
	26 February 2001, Official Report, columns 328–32W
	27 March 2001, Official Report, column 574W
	22 June 2001, Official Report, columns 12–13W
	28 November 2001, Official Report, columns 948–52W
	13 February 2002, Official Report, columns 398–401W.
	The calculation of departmental EYF entitlement is undertaken at a high level of aggregation across departmental expenditure limits. Underspends on specific programmes may be partially offset by overspends elsewhere. Each Department draws down its EYF entitlement for specific purposes in accordance with need. It is therefore not possible to identify the areas to which EYF generated by a particular programme has been re-allocated. For that reason, DTLR does not keep central records of EYF entitlement generated by, and re-allocated to, railways.
	Copies of command papers and the Official Report, are available in the Libraries of the House.

Rail Delays

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent assessment has been made by his Department of the total cost, in terms of customer and business time, of delays on Britain's railways.

David Jamieson: The Department has made no such estimate.

Rail Safety

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what information he collates on the number of speed restrictions in place on the rail network in each Railtrack operating zone (i) in total and (ii) caused by gauge corner cracking.

David Jamieson: This is an operational matter for Railtrack.

Rail Safety

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the (a) date, (b) location and (c) level of penalty of safety breach incidents that have resulted in prosecution of (i) train operating companies and (ii) Railtrack in each year since 1995–96.

David Jamieson: Full details of each year's enforcement action on the railways for breaches of health and safety legislation, including prosecutions, is included in the HM Chief Inspector of Railways' Annual Report on the safety record of the railways in Great Britain, copies of which are in the Libraries of the House.

Rail Safety

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his estimate is of the cost of installing a new train control and safety system throughout the UK railway industry.

John Spellar: A rail industry group is investigating the options and costs of train control systems and is expected to report to the Health and Safety Commission this spring. The HSC will subsequently advise Ministers.

Motorways

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what measures are in place to ensure that motorway roadworks are phased to prevent simultaneous workings being carried out close to each other on the same motorway;
	(2)  when he expects the roadworks being carried out between junctions 24 and 25 of the M1 motorway to be completed; and what penalties will be imposed in the event that the works are not completed on time.

David Jamieson: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr. Tim Matthews, to write to the right hon. Member.
	Letter from Tim Matthews to Mr. Greg Knight, dated 11 March 2002
	I have been asked by the Transport Minister, David Jamieson, to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about phasing of motorway roadworks and about roadworks on the M1 between Junctions 24 and 25.
	In line with the Road User's Charter targets, our aim is to see that a minimum of 90 per cent. of works carried out during a year are no more than 2.5 miles long and are at least 6 miles apart.
	To achieve this, we have a system of booking road space so that works are co-ordinated. We also liaise with local highway authorities to avoid, as far as possible, works on the motorway conflicting with works on adjacent local roads.
	There are, of course, exceptions where we have to carry out emergency works, or where it would be beneficial in terms of cost, safety and the environment.
	The roadworks on the M1 between junctions 24 and 25 involve the installation of noise barriers, resurfacing the road with a low noise surface and putting in new drainage, advance work for a new communications network and improvements to structures. The work is being done in two stages, the first of which is due to finish this month. If it is delayed, and the delays are the fault of the contractor, then a penalty of £10,000 a day would be imposed. The second stage is due to start in April and take about two months. That contract will also be subject to similar penalties.
	If you would like any further information please contact the Agency's Area Manager, Steve Forgham. His telephone number is 0121 678 8506.

Fire Authorities

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to amend the criteria for the calculation of SSA funding arrangements for the Humberside Fire Authority.

Alan Whitehead: The Government, in co-operation with local government, are currently working up proposals for the new grant formula that will be introduced in 2003–04. We have therefore not yet finalised proposals for the revenue grant formula for the fire service.

Fire Authorities

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to introduce precepting in place of the levying arrangements for combined fire authorities.

Nick Raynsford: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Telford (David Wright) on Monday 4 March 2002, Official Report, column 101W.

Accident Reports

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what procedures are used to consult other jurisdictions prior to the release of (a) marine and (b) air accident inquiry reports.

David Jamieson: Normally the Marine Accidents Investigation Branch (MAIB) does not consult other jurisdictions before releasing a marine accident investigation report, unless (1) the jurisdiction may be adversely affected by the report; (2) the jurisdiction has co-operated with the MAIB in the investigation in accordance with the International Maritime Organization's Code for the Investigation of Marine Casualties and Incidents; or (3) a recommendation has been addressed to that jurisdiction.
	The provisions for consulting other jurisdictions before releasing an air accident investigation report are laid down in Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch complies fully with these provisions.

National Rail Academy

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if a steering group has been established for the National Rail Academy.

David Jamieson: An SRA taskforce has been formed and it had its initial meeting on 8 February 2002.

Regional Development Agencies

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what proportion of the total public sector budget for regeneration is allocated via the regional development agencies in the current financial year.

Sally Keeble: The total DTLR Urban Regeneration allocation for 2001–02 is £1,796 million. Of this, the regional development agencies, including the London Development Agency, have been allocated £1,363 million (76 per cent.).

Green Belt Development

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what proportion of planning applications for green belt development considered in each Government Office in each of the past three years was referred to an inspector;
	(2)  how many planning applications for green belt development have been considered in each Government Office in each of the past three years.

Sally Keeble: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department, and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

School Bus Schemes

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent estimates his Department has made on the impact of school bus schemes on road congestion.

Sally Keeble: We commissioned consultants to carry out an assessment of the potential take-up of additional home to school transport were this to be provided. The study, which reported in October 2001, found that 48 per cent. of parents who currently drive children to school would consider switching. We intend to commission an evaluation of First's pilot Yellow School Bus scheme which will include an assessment of the modal shift from car to bus.

Housing

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will introduce a gap-funding scheme for housing following the ban on the Partnership Investment Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Sally Keeble: Yes. We propose to seek the European Commission's state aid approval for a housing gap funding scheme shortly.

State Aids

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which organisations have been invited to participate in the conference organised by his Department on state aids on 21 March.

Sally Keeble: We have invited officials from the European Commission and all member states to participate in the meeting on state aids and regeneration which is being held on 21 March.

Single Regeneration Budget

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if SRB Round 6 funds can be used to gap-fund projects.

Sally Keeble: Following a ruling by the European Commission in December 1999 that the operation of the Partnership Investment Programme outside the Assisted Areas contravened state aid rules, the Department took the precautionary measure of disallowing gap funding schemes under SRB Round 6.
	SRB funds to assist commerce or industry are permissible within the regional aid ceilings published by the European Commission.

South East Manchester Multi-modal Transport Study

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the Government will respond to the South-east Manchester Multi-modal Transport Study.

David Jamieson: I am currently considering this report and the North-west Regional Assembly's recommendations and hope to make an announcement shortly.

Taxi Regulation

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he intends to publish draft regulations in connection with taxi regulation for all vehicles.

Sally Keeble: We have powers under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to introduce regulations setting standards of access for taxis in the same way as we have already done for trains and for buses and coaches. We are discussing with industry and our statutory advisers the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) how to implement the requirements most effectively. We need to ensure that our proposals meet the needs of disabled people for taxi services but also protect the viability of the trade. We will consult when we have finalised our proposals.

White Papers

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on the reason for the delay in the publication of the (a) aviation and (b) regions White Papers.

Stephen Byers: There is no delay. Our manifesto commitment is to produce plans this year for aviation and airports over the next 30 years, and that remains our intention. As to the regions, we remain similarly committed to taking forward proposals on elected regional government and will publish a White Paper as soon as it is ready.

Harbour Authorities

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will bring pilotage back under public jurisdiction.

David Jamieson: Responsibility for the provision of pilotage services was assigned by the Pilotage Act 1987 to competent harbour authorities who have statutory powers in relation to the regulation of shipping movements and the safety of navigation. We have no plans to change this arrangement.

Harbour Authorities

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions to whom a competent harbour authority is ultimately accountable.

David Jamieson: The term "competent harbour authority" is used in the Pilotage Act 1987 for harbour authorities who have more general statutory powers in relation to the regulation of shipping movements and the safety of navigation. The Act extended these powers to include the provision of pilotage services. Harbour authorities are fully accountable for the exercise of their powers, as the prosecution of the Milford Haven Port Authority, following the Sea Empress grounding, has shown.
	The purpose of the Department's Port Marine Safety Code has been to establish an agreed national standard as a measure by which a harbour authority can be more openly accountable to a wide range of interests for the policies and procedures adopted to ensure that the harbour is run safely.

Harbour Authorities

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what method of arbitration replaced the temporary procedure for resolving disputes on terms of employment contained in the Pilotage Act 1987 after the three-year expiry period.

David Jamieson: The temporary arbitration procedure was a transitional provision to enable new arrangements to be established between previously licensed pilots and competent harbour authorities following the transfer of pilotage functions to those authorities under the Act. It is now spent.

Civil Servants (Relocation Companies)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many civil servants in his Department have used the services of Cendent or its subsidiaries (a) to relocate in London and (b) to be housed in London since May 1997; what the name was of the company employed in each case; and what were the dates on each occasion.

Alan Whitehead: Since May 1997 my Department has used the services of Cendent on one occasion to relocate a member of staff from Bristol to London in April 2001.

Civil Servants (Relocation Companies)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions which relocation companies his Department has used when relocating civil servants since May 1997; which relocation companies hold contracts with his Department for the relocation of civil servants; when the contracts were last renewed; where the contracts were advertised; and what the length and value of each contract is.

Alan Whitehead: My Department has used two companies for the relocation of civil servants since May 1997.
	ARC, who later merged to become ARC/Phoenix in October 1999 was awarded a contract from 5 October 1995 to 31 March 2000. This contract was superseded by a three-year contract from April 2000 with Bradford and Bingley Relocation Services Ltd. Cendent subsequently acquired the company in September 2000.
	Both contracts were advertised through OJEC. The approximate annual value of the contract is £35,000 but fluctuates from year to year.

Electoral Commission

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to raise the limit on the expenditure which the Electoral Commission can incur on promoting awareness of electoral and democratic systems; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Whitehead: I have today laid before Parliament an Order, under section 13(6) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, setting a limit of £7,500,000 on the total expenditure in any one year which the Electoral Commission can incur on promoting public awareness of the matters specified under section 13(1) of that Act. The Order has been made with the consent of the Treasury, as required by the legislation.

Research Documentation

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 4 March 2002, Official Report, column 91W, on research documentation, for what reason the Department does not hold this information centrally.

David Jamieson: The information is not currently available centrally without disproportionate cost because responsibility for DTLR research is devolved to individual policy areas and programmes are not managed centrally. However, the Department is developing a central research database facility which is currently being populated with data. This should enable more information on research to be made available from a central source in future.

Railway Industry Advisory Committee

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his reply of 4 March 2002, Official Report, column 89W, on RIAC membership, (a) by whom and (b) when the review of RIAC was conducted; what conclusions were reached; by whom the role of the RIAC was refocused; and what form the strategic advice to the HSC (i) has taken and (ii) will take.

David Jamieson: The review of the Railway Industry Advisory Committee (RIAC) was carried out in early 2001 by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), at the request of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), and as part of a general review of their industry advisory committees. Copies of the conclusions of the review and RIAC's revised terms of reference have been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	The HSC considered these following publication of part 2 of Lord Cullen's public inquiry report, and implemented a key review conclusion through the replacement of the Chief Inspector of Railways as Chair by an independent member of the HSC (Margaret Burns) in November 2001. RIAC agendas and HSC minutes are available on the HSE website and indicate areas on which RIAC has advised the HSC.

Financial Investigations

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 785W, on financial investigations, what areas of his Department are involved; what the aggregate sum of money is; when they are expected to be completed; and if he will publish the results.

Sally Keeble: Since the investigations in question are still taking place, there is nothing I can add to my earlier answer at this stage.

Standard Spending Assessment (Care Home Registration)

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the adjustments made to each local authority standard spending assessment as a result of the transfer of care home registration to the National Care Standards Commission.

Nick Raynsford: A table showing:
	the 2002–03 Standard Spending Assessment (SSA) as it would have been had the transfer of care home registration to the National Care Standards Commission not occurred;
	the actual 2002–03 SSA;
	the difference; and
	the percentage difference for each authority with responsibilities for Personal Social Services has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	So that like-for-like comparisons between the 2001–02 and 2002–03 SSAs could be made, notional adjustments were also made to the 2001–02 SSAs to reflect these changes.

Standard Spending Assessment (Care Home Registration)

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what adjustment was made to the East Riding of Yorkshire standard spending assessment as a result of the transfer of care home registration to the National Care Standards Commission.

Nick Raynsford: The East Riding of Yorkshire would have had an SSA of £259.814 million if the transfer of care home registration to the National Care Standards Commission had not occurred in 2002–03. This is £395,000 (0.2 per cent.) more than the actual SSA received by the East Riding of Yorkshire following the transfer.

Electoral Spending

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much was spent by (a) central Government and (b) local councils on (i) electoral registration, (ii) advertising and (iii) the conduct of elections in each of the last five years.

Nick Raynsford: Information about local authorities spending on electoral matters is not held centrally. Central Government have incurred expenditure on advertising—to give information about electoral matters—and on the conduct of elections. I will write to my right hon. Friend shortly giving information about the level of this expenditure in relation to elections in England and Wales for which I am responsible and place a copy of the letter in the Libraries of the House.

Solway Harvester

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on what date the Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents received representation from the Attorney General of the Isle of Man on the release of the MAIB report on the Solway Harvester sinking.

David Jamieson: The Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents received a letter from the Attorney-General of the Isle of Man on 15 February 2002 requesting that the press briefing and release of the MAIB report on the Solway Harvester sinking be deferred until 15 May.

Hijackings

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what measures are being investigated by his Department to protect commercial aircraft, their crews and passengers from terrorist hijacking.

David Jamieson: The UK National Aviation Security Programme has for many years contained a range of measures to deter and prevent the hijacking of passenger aircraft. These measures were substantially enhanced in response to the attacks on 11 September. In particular it has been a requirement since 18 September 2001 for cockpit doors to be kept locked.
	In addition, the Cabinet Office commissioned, through the Committee on Domestic and International Terrorism, a wide-ranging review of aviation security following these attacks. As a result a number of potential measures have been identified on which work is currently being taken forward. However it is too soon to say what will be introduced as a result.

Rural Bus Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what percentage of people living in (a) each predominantly rural constituency and (b) rural areas nationally live within 10 minutes' walk of a bus service operating at least hourly.

Sally Keeble: My Department's National Travel Survey indicates that 47 per cent. of rural households in England, defined as households in a settlement with less than 3,000 population, lived within about 10 minutes' walk of a bus service operating at least hourly in 1998 to 2000. This figure should be treated with caution as sample sizes for rural areas are small, despite aggregation of data over a three year period. For this reason, these data cannot be broken down to a constituency level.

Rural Bus Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what additional funding is being made available to meet the target laid down in the Rural White Paper for the proportion of the rural population living within 10 minutes' walk of a bus service operating at least hourly by (a) 2004 and (b) 2010.

Sally Keeble: We have made available £198 million for rural bus services in England over the period 2001–02 to 2003–04, through the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and Rural Bus Challenge schemes. Funding for these schemes beyond 2003–04 will be decided in light of future spending reviews, reflecting our 10-year plan and Rural White Paper targets and commitments for rural transport. Local authorities also have the discretion to use revenue support funding allocated by my Department for additional rural bus services.

Congestion Charging (Disabled Drivers)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his policy is on congestion charging towards disabled drivers.

Sally Keeble: The Government recognise the enormous importance of personal mobility for many disabled people. We are committed to making regulations in due course to require an exemption from local road user charges for at least some disabled people covering the whole of England including London. These regulations will set a minimum standard which local authorities must meet. They will be free to introduce more generous concessions or exemptions if they wish.
	We shall consult on the possible form of the England wide exemption after the current review of the disabled persons' parking badge scheme (the Blue Badge Scheme) is completed later this year.

Shoreham Harbour

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what reports he has received from Shoreham Port Authority about the spread of business usage at the Harbour;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Shoreham Port Authority about the establishment of cross Channel ferry services;
	(3)  what environmental impact assessment has been carried out with regard to the establishment of cross Channel ferry services from Shoreham Harbour;
	(4)  what representations he has received about the establishment of cross channel ferry services from Shoreham Harbour;
	(5)  what representations he has received from Shoreham Port Authority about extending their borrowing levels;
	(6)  what details he has received from Shoreham Port Authority about the number of people employed at Shoreham Harbour (a) by the Port Authority and (b) by businesses in the harbour in each of the last five years;
	(7)  what details he has received from Shoreham Port Authority as to the proportion of Shoreham Harbour in operational use and on plans they have to increase this;
	(8)  what details he has received from Shoreham Port Authority about the average number of daily lorry movements on port-related activity in each of the last 36 months.

David Jamieson: None.

Shoreham Harbour

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when his Department last met members of the Shoreham Port Authority; and where.

David Jamieson: One of my officials met the vice-chairman and the chief executive on 1 February 2002 at the authority's offices.

Shoreham Harbour

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the cost has been to (a) Shoreham Harbour and (b) SEEDA in consultation fees related to the Maritime Vision for Shoreham Harbour Project.

David Jamieson: A steering group comprising several bodies runs the Shoreham Harbour Project and information in respect of consultation fees incurred by them is not held by my Department.
	SEEDA has invested funding of £35,000 since April 2001 on the study (which includes consultation costs) in regard to the Maritime Vision for Shoreham Harbour. Prior to that date investment funding has been incurred by English Partnerships on the study through the former Partnership Investment Programme.

Shoreham Harbour

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will publish remuneration figures for board members and executive employees of Shoreham Port Authority.

David Jamieson: These are matters for the authority.

Shoreham Harbour

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his policy is towards using areas of derelict land at Shoreham Harbour for housing.

Sally Keeble: The Government's advice on housing as set out in "Planning Policy Guidance note 3" (PPG3) give precedence to locating new housing on previously developed land within urban areas. Regional Planning Guidance for the South-east (RPG9) advises that development plans should seek to achieve at least 60 per cent. of all new development in the South-east on previously developed land.

Road Maintenance

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the trunk roads on which day-to-day maintenance is carried out by private sector companies.

Stephen Byers: The Highways Agency has overall responsibility for the management of the whole trunk road network in England. The day-to-day maintenance is, and has been for many years, contracted out to private companies.

Railtrack

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what conditions are attached to the European Commission's agreement to the payment of state aid for Railtrack in administration.

Stephen Byers: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 170W.

Road Network Management (Emergency Services)

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had with the Department of Health regarding the impact on the Ambulance Service of his proposals to improve management of the road network.

Stephen Byers: Discussions on improving the management of the trunk road network have taken place with representatives of the Ambulance Service as part of a cross-organisation review of road incident management.

Road Network Management (Emergency Services)

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the impact on police investigations of his proposal to improve management of the road network.

Stephen Byers: Discussion on improving the management of the trunk road network are taking place at several levels, involving Ministers, officials and representatives of the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Local Authorities

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what discussions he had with (a) the LGA and (b) the ALG on the impact of the banding of local authorities on their ability to recruit and retain staff;
	(2)  what (a) research he commissioned and (b) representations he has received on the impact of the banding of local authorities on their ability to recruit and retain staff.

Stephen Byers: Discussions with the local government community were held during the preparation and drafting of the Local Government White Paper where the proposals to categorise authorities into four bands were announced.
	The White Paper charged the Audit Commission with developing the methodology for Comprehensive Performance Assessment and ultimately categorising authorities. The LGA and other key stakeholders are working with them in the development of the methodology and practical trialing with 10 Pathfinder authorities.
	The White Paper proposals taken together will enhance the status of authorities as community leaders and will lead to substantial improvement in service delivery. This is the best way of enabling authorities to recruit and retain high quality staff.

Parliamentary Questions

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to the questions tabled by the hon. Member for Cotswold on 12 February refs 37055 and 37057 on NATS, when he will receive an answer.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 806W, and 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 176W.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Post-GCSE Studies

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements she proposes to facilitate more advanced studies for pupils who have taken GCSE early in a school without a sixth form.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 7 March 2002
	The consultation document "14–19: extending opportunities, raising standards" refers to the value of institutional collaboration, in the use of facilities and teaching staff, and the potential of ICT and interactive learning. The Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth will also help in this respect, by offering online courses and summer schools, and by piloting individual education plans for the most able. The consultation document confirms that further guidance and support materials will be developed.

Departmental Expenditure

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list her Department's total expenditure by month in each financial year since 1997–98.

Estelle Morris: Monthly figures for the Department could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the Treasury has published full, financial year outturns for the years 1997–98 to 1999–2000 in Public Expenditure Analyses (Cm 5101). Provisional financial year outturns for 2001–01 have been provided in Public Expenditure 2000–01 Provisional Outturn (Cm 5243).

Public Bodies (Chairmen)

Eric Forth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the appointments made by her Department since 1 May 1997 of chairmen of (a) non- departmental public bodies, (b) commissions, (c) inquiries, (d) agencies and (e) task forces; and if she will list their (i) term of office, (ii) salary and (iii) known political affiliation (A) past and (B) present.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is listed in the following table. Information on political affiliation is not collected.
	
		
			 Name Body Term (years) Annual salary (£) 
		
		
			 Non-departmental public bodies
			 1997
			 Clive Booth Teacher Training Agency 3 15,759 
			 Sir Anthony Tippett Funding Agency for Schools 2 30,000 
			 Sir William Stubbs Qualifications and Curriculum Authority 3 47,000 
			 Sir Michael Checkland Higher Education Funding Council for England 3 37,822 
			 
			 1998
			 Lord Davies of Oldham Further Education Funding Council 3 37,014 
			 Norman Dunlop(32) Engineering Construction Industry Training Board 1 0 
			 Keith Bridge Education Transfer Council 2 15,000 
			 Sir Anthony Battishill Student Loans Company 2 67,000 
			 
			 1999
			 Julie Mellor Equal Opportunities Commission 3 62,500 
			 Hugh Try(32) Construction Industry Training Board 3 27,695 
			 Jim Rowland Engineering Construction Industry Training Board 5 9,232 
			 Sue Maynard-Campbell Advisory Committee for Disabled People in Employment and Training 2 0 
			 Tim Melville-Ross Investors in People UK 3 0 
			 Bert Massie Disability Rights Commission 4 65,600 
			 
			 2000
			 Alan Pedder Remploy 3 25,000 
			 Nick Reilly Adult Learning Inspectorate 4 0 
			 Richard Greenhalgh National College for School Leadership 3 0 
			 Bryan Sanderson Learning and Skills Council 4 40,000 
			 Sir William Stubbs(32) Qualifications and Curriculum Authority 3 42,559 
			 Clive Booth(32) Teacher Training Agency 3 16,767 
			 Sir Anthony Battishill(32) Student Loans Company 1 68,400 
			 
			 2001
			 John Taylor British Educational Communications and Telecommunication Agency 1 0 
			 David Young Higher Education Funding Council for England 3 40,000 
			 Keith Beddell-Pearce Student Loans Company 3 65,978 
			 
			 2002
			 Richard Handover Adult Learning Inspectorate 4 9,000 
			 
			 Commissions None — — 
			 
			 Inquiries None — — 
			 
			 Agencies None — — 
			 
			 Task Forces
			 2000
			 Sandy Leitch New Deal Task Force 2 0 
			 
			 2002
			 Steve Morrison Post 16 e-Learning Strategy Task Force (33)— 0 
		
	
	(32) Denotes a re-appointment.
	(33) Until the task force reports.

Fair Trade

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 19 November 2001, Official Report, column 61W, on fair trade goods, if she will review and increase the amount of fairly traded goods purchased by her Department during Fair Trade Fortnight.

Ivan Lewis: My Department takes every opportunity to encourage suppliers and partners to promote and purchase fair trade products. As the vast majority of goods purchased are via third parties my direct influence to purchase these goods is limited. However I continue to support ethical trading in mainstream business and encourage suppliers and partners to become increasingly aware of fair trade products during Fair Trade Fortnight.

Fair Trade

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether fair trade products are sold in her Department.

Ivan Lewis: My Department takes every opportunity to promote fair trade products. Fair trade products are offered for sale by our contracted caterer in all the main Department head office buildings.

Legal Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what legal costs have been incurred by her Department in each of the last four years.

Ivan Lewis: 1998–99—This information can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	1999–2000—This information can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	2000–01—£632,896.
	2001–02—£607,490 (April-February).

Special Educational Needs

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of children with statements of special educational needs were categorised as autistic in (a) 2001, (b) 1996 and (c) 1991.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not available centrally.

Capita Contracts

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many contracts the Department has with Capita.

Ivan Lewis: My Department has five contracts in total with Capita for a range of different services.

Climate Change Levy

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the change in costs incurred by local education authority maintained schools as a result of the introduction of the climate change levy.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 4 March 2002
	Our assessment is that for a school that must pay the climate change levy (CCL), the increase in fuel costs in the financial year 2001–02 due to the levy was of the order of 10 per cent.
	Not all schools have to pay the CCL. Those schools which are eligible to pay the lower rate of VAT on fuel of 5 per cent. are exempt from the levy.
	Electricity sourced from new forms of renewable energy is also exempt from the CCL, as are supplies from registered sources of "good quality" combined heat and power.

Advertising

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the publicity and advertising campaigns run by her Department in each of the last four years, specifying the (a) purpose, (b) cost to public funds, (c) number of staff involved and (d) method of evaluation in each case.

Ivan Lewis: The Department's total spend on advertising was:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1998–99 15,673,000 
			 1999–2000 11,901,000 
			 2000–01 29,110,000 
			 2001–02(34) 17,665,000 
		
	
	(34) Year to date.
	Campaigns over £500,000 are:
	
		
			 Campaign Details £ 
		
		
			 1998–99   
			 New Deal To promote awareness of New Deal and to inform potential clients and employers, and to sign up employers 4,772,000 
			 Reading and Literacy To encourage parents to get more involved in their children's reading (linked to National Year of Reading) 3,648,000 
			 Disability Discrimination To inform employers about how the Disability Discrimination Act affects them 1,924,000 
			 National Traineeships To encourage employers to take up National Traineeships 1,502,000 
			 Learning Direct Promoting the Learning Direct helpline to young people 619,000 
			 Career Development Loans To encourage young people to take out CDLs to improve their career prospects 604,000 
			 Millennium Bug Busters To promote to employers training on how to prepare for the Millennium Bug 585,000 
			
			 1999–2000   
			 Disability Discrimination To challenge the general public to change their attitude to disability and to inform employers about the Disability Discrimination Act 2,643,000 
			 Maths Year 2000 To encourage parents to help with their children's maths (linked to Maths Year 2000) 2,322,000 
			 Age Diversity To address age discrimination in recruitment and employment practice 1,128,000 
			 National Traineeships To encourage young people to take up National Traineeships 1,077,000 
			 One To promote the launch of the One scheme in 12 pilot areas 873,000 
			 Childcare Link To promote a helpline telling parents what child care options are available in their area 810,000 
			 Time Off for Study To inform employers of their legal responsibilities under the Right to Time Off for Study Act 702,000 
			
			 2000–01   
			 Don't Quit Now To raise awareness of the benefits of staying in some form of learning after reaching the age of compulsory education 2,700,000 
			 New Deal 50 plus To increase participation in New Deal 50 plus 2,400,000 
			 ICT Employability To encourage those out of work to take up taster courses in ICT 2,011,000 
			 Childcare Recruitment To encourage recruitment into the child care sectors by young people and returners 1,821,000 
			 Disability Discrimination To tell SME service providers how aspects of the Disability Discrimination Act affect them 1,242,000 
			 Modern Apprenticeships To promote the availability of Modern Apprenticeships 856,000 
			 Individual Learning Accounts To encourage people to take up Individual Learning Accounts to improve their career prospects 612,000 
			 Fast Track Teachers To inform potential recruits about the fast-track teachers scheme 1,056,000 
			 Parents' Magazine To promote a magazine which helps parents to get more involved in their children's education 1,484,000 
			   
			 2001–02(35)   
			 Childcare Recruitment To encourage recruitment into the child care sectors by young people and returners 2,504,400 
			 Foundation Degree To promote Foundation Degrees 667,000 
			 New Deal 25+ To increase participation in New Deal 25+ 633,000 
			 Excellence Challenge To widen participation of young people in higher education 1,750,000 
			 Science Year 2001–02 To encourage more interest in science among young people 1,803,000 
			 Adult Basic Skills 'Get On' To encourage adults to improve their basic literacy and numeracy skills 4,597,000 
			 Parents' Magazine To promote a magazine which helps parents to get more involved in their children's education 770,000 
			 Fast Track Teachers To inform potential recruits about the fast-track teachers scheme 1,250,000 
			 Millennium Volunteers To encourage young people from 16 to 24 to become involved in volunteering activities 848,000 
			 Foundation Degree (new terms) To provide information on the new terms of the Foundation Degree 658,000 
			 Get On—Adult Basic Skills To encourage adults to improve their basic literacy and numeracy skills 1,820,000 
			 Modern Apprenticeships To promote the availability of Modern apprenticeships 1,670,000 
		
	
	(35) Year to date.
	It is not possible, except at disproportionate expense, to provide a detailed breakdown of the number of staff working on each campaign.
	The Department runs a number of campaigns in support of our key delivery priorities, in order to inform our target audiences of how they are affected by our policies. All of our campaigns follow the guidelines which govern Government information on issues of propriety and cost.
	Detailed evaluation criteria are not held centrally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost. However, every campaign is measured vigorously against specific communication objectives using pre- and post-campaign research, conducted by independent research companies, to record shifts in awareness, attitudes, knowledge or behaviour among the target audience(s).
	The Department employs tracking research to monitor these shifts over time and typically conducts telephone surveys of respondents to advertising campaigns to monitor satisfaction with the services offered and actions taken as a result of the campaign. It routinely tests the likely effectiveness of different creative approaches on the target audience(s) through market research, as part of the development of advertising campaigns. Lessons learned from previous campaigns are used to inform future ones.

Student Debt

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what was the average level of student debt, broken down by subject, upon graduating from a first degree in the last 12 months.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 4 March 2002
	Information on student debt is not collated by subject.
	Information on student loan accounts is held by the Student Loans Company, and relates to publicly owned debt or to debts held in the private sector following the two Government debt sales.
	The average debt of a borrower with a mortgage style student loan entering repayment at the start of financial year 1999–2000, the latest year for which data are available, was £3,210.
	The first cohort of students on a three-year course who entered higher education under the new student support arrangements is due to enter repayment in April 2002. The average debt of a borrower with a new income contingent loan entering repayment in that year is estimated to be some £6,100.
	Students who started their course in 1997–98, or earlier, repay their student loan on a mortgage-style (fixed-term) basis. Students commencing their course in 1998–99, or later, will repay their loans on an income-contingent basis. Their repayments will be linked to their income after leaving higher education so that leavers only repay when their income exceeds the threshold of £10,000 per annum.
	Information on students' private sector debt such as overdrafts and other commercial loans is not available centrally.

Science/Engineering Students

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many undergraduate engineering students received sponsorship (a) in total, (b) per subject and (c) in relation to other disciplines, during the last academic year.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 4 March 2002
	The available information, showing the number of full-time undergraduates whose tuition fees are paid by sponsors, is shown in the table. Contributions to tuition fees are income assessed. How much, if anything, a student pays depends on their income and that of their family.
	
		Full-time undergraduates in the UK whose tuition fees are paid by sponsors(36) 2000–01
		
			 Subject Number As percentage of all students in the subject(37) 
		
		
			 Engineering and technology 490 0.8 
			 Medicine and dentistry 102 0.1 
			 Subjects allied to medicine 2,936 3.1 
			 Biological sciences 96 0.2 
			 Veterinary science 2 0.0 
			 Agriculture and related subjects 21 0.2 
			 Physical sciences 96 0.2 
			 Mathematical sciences 17 0.1 
			 Information technology 163 0.3 
			 Architecture 92 0.5 
			 Social studies 537 0.8 
			 Law 530 1.8 
			 Business/administration studies 452 0.5 
			 Mass communication/documentation 20 0.1 
			 Languages 42 0.1 
			 Humanities 93 0.3 
			 Creative arts 98 0.1 
			 Education 244 0.6 
			 Combined subjects 350 0.4 
			  
			 Total all subjects 6,381 0.7 
		
	
	(36) Covers fees paid by the student's employer, UK industry/ commerce, and sponsorship by HM forces.
	(37) Excluding students who did not provide details of the source of their tuition fees.
	The 1998–99 Student Income and Expenditure survey reported that an important source of income for part-time students was their employers. One in five gained help towards their study costs, which was worth £452 over the academic year for those who received such help.

Nursery Education

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average cost of providing a full-time nursery education place is in (a) East Sussex and (b) England; and what the comparable figures were for 1997.

Margaret Hodge: The Department does not hold information on the cost of full-time nursery education places.
	The Department provides funding to early education settings for the provision of free, part-time early education places for three-year-olds at the current annual rate of £1,188. However, in addition, funding may be made available by local authorities from their own resources and the cost of places for four-year-olds is met by local authorities, drawing on funds made available through the standard spending assessment. The annual grant rate in 1997 was £1,100.

Child Care

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many new child care places were created in Cambridgeshire during 2000–01; and what the targets were for Cambridgeshire for the creation of new child care places in 2000–01.

Margaret Hodge: Cambridgeshire created 2,208 new child care places in 2000–01. Cambridgeshire's target for new child care places in 2000–01 was 2,982.

University Lecturers (Incompetence)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many university lecturers have been dismissed for incompetence in each year since 1990; what steps are being taken to improve the quality of undergraduate teaching; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The employment of lecturers is a matter for individual universities and no statistics are collected centrally on the number of lecturers dismissed or the reasons given for dismissal.
	We are continuing to work closely with the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Quality Assurance Agency to ensure that revised systems are put in place to monitor and improve teaching quality. We have also requested that HEFCE produces, by July 2002, a strategic plan for enhancing the quality of teaching.

Press and Public Relations

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many press releases were issued by her Department (a) between 1 May and 31 December 1997 and (b) in each year from 1998 to 2001 inclusive.

Ivan Lewis: The number of press releases issued for each year from 1997 are as follows:
	
		
			 Date/year Number 
		
		
			 1 May 1997–31 December 1997 338 
			 1998 598 
			 1999 605 
			 2000 538 
			 2001 395 
		
	
	All press releases dating from 1998 can be accessed via the Department's website, www.dfes.gov.uk/pns/newslist. Press releases dating from 1995 can be accessed via the Central Office of Information (COI) website, www.coi.gov.uk.

Student Loans

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of students in each (a) LEA in England and (b) Government office region of England, were wholly or partially exempt from the payment of university tuition fees in academic year 2001–02.

Margaret Hodge: In England and Wales, under the student support scheme, students and their families only make a contribution towards their tuition fees if they can afford to do so. Students are assessed on family income.
	Data on student support for 2001–02 are not yet available. The proportion of students in each LEA and Government office region of England in academic year 1999–2000, the latest year for which data are available, are shown in the following table.
	
		Proportion of students in each education authority in England making contributions towards fees(38) Academic year 1999–2000
		
			  Number of students Percentage of students  
			  contribution to fees contribution to fees:  
			  Nil student/ parent/spouse(39) Part student/ parent/spouse Full student/ parent/spouse Nil student/ parent/spouse(39) Part student/ parent/spouse Full student/ parent/spouse 
		
		
			 Corporation of London 17 5 12 50 15 35 
			 Camden 1,035 115 447 65 7 28 
			 Greenwich 991 248 414 60 15 25 
			 Hackney 1,541 151 140 84 8 8 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 695 125 286 63 11 26 
			 Islington 1,015 211 259 68 14 17 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 832 129 100 78 12 9 
			 Lambeth(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Lewisham(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Southwark 1,413 187 297 74 10 16 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,365 68 73 91 5 5 
			 Wandsworth 1,226 242 572 60 12 28 
			 City of Westminster(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Barking and Dagenham 467 127 86 69 19 13 
			 Barnet 1,647 621 1,482 44 17 40 
			 Bexley 591 297 534 42 21 38 
			 Brent 1,883 705 581 59 22 18 
			 Bromley(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Croydon(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Ealing 1,730 679 971 51 20 29 
			 Enfield 1,283 494 1,047 45 17 37 
			 Haringey(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Harrow 1,169 694 1,181 38 23 39 
			 Havering(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Hillingdon(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Hounslow 1,301 547 190 64 27 9 
			 Kingston upon Thames(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Merton 724 284 647 44 17 39 
			 Newham 423 62 23 83 12 5 
			 Redbridge 1,222 507 905 46 19 34 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 1,187 386 210 67 22 12 
			 Sutton 465 259 719 32 18 50 
			 Waltham Forest(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Birmingham 4,768 1,425 1,537 62 18 20 
			 Coventry 1,301 561 709 51 22 28 
			 Dudley 917 597 701 41 27 32 
			 Sandwell 993 453 347 55 25 19 
			 Solihull 608 367 1,114 29 18 53 
			 Walsall 927 445 496 50 24 27 
			 Wolverhampton 1,243 462 556 55 20 25 
			 Knowsley 601 188 158 63 20 17 
			 Liverpool 2,317 695 572 65 19 16 
			 St. Helens 647 422 524 41 26 33 
			 Sefton 1,476 649 1,155 45 20 35 
			 Wirral 1,339 750 1,175 41 23 36 
			 Bolton(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Bury 868 371 635 46 20 34 
			 Manchester 2,296 366 418 75 12 14 
			 Oldham 930 315 447 55 19 26 
			 Rochdale 970 367 702 48 18 34 
			 Salford 542 232 369 47 20 32 
			 Stockport(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Tameside 740 305 347 53 22 25 
			 Trafford(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Wigan 1,048 643 733 43 27 30 
			 Barnsley 637 294 227 55 25 20 
			 Doncaster 856 421 615 45 22 33 
			 Rotherham 753 433 469 45 26 28 
			 Sheffield(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Bradford 2,334 738 1,082 56 18 26 
			 Calderdale 841 328 556 49 19 32 
			 Kirklees 1,660 634 1,093 49 19 32 
			 Leeds(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Wakefield 784 436 694 41 23 36 
			 Gateshead 783 319 385 53 21 26 
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1,093 440 680 49 20 31 
			 North Tyneside 758 382 631 43 22 36 
			 South Tyneside 599 416 135 52 36 12 
			 Sunderland 1,007 408 553 51 21 28 
			 Isles of Scilly 8 5 8 38 24 38 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 605 267 701 38 17 45 
			 Bristol City 1,459 436 860 53 16 31 
			 North Somerset 539 321 759 33 20 47 
			 South Gloucestershire 609 375 867 33 20 47 
			 Hartlepool 328 124 157 54 20 26 
			 Middlesbrough 590 246 381 48 20 31 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 449 221 332 45 22 33 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 637 311 550 43 21 37 
			 Kingston upon Hull (Hull City) 825 231 213 65 18 17 
			 East Riding 1,206 640 1,143 40 21 38 
			 North East Lincolnshire 576 274 352 48 23 29 
			 North Lincolnshire 609 308 439 45 23 32 
			 North Yorkshire 2,392 1,142 1,975 43 21 36 
			 York City 551 311 587 38 21 41 
			 Bedfordshire 1,119 672 1,705 32 19 49 
			 Luton 856 311 375 56 20 24 
			 Buckinghamshire(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Milton Keynes(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Derbyshire 2,245 1,274 2,139 40 23 38 
			 City of Derby 999 405 562 51 21 29 
			 Dorset(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Poole 458 235 411 41 21 37 
			 Bournemouth 685 209 221 61 19 20 
			 Durham 1,670 855 1,260 44 23 33 
			 Darlington 419 283 171 48 32 20 
			 East Sussex 1,356 684 1,465 39 20 42 
			 Brighton and Hove 1,080 239 573 57 13 30 
			 Hampshire 3,468 1,942 5,757 31 17 52 
			 Portsmouth 754 224 309 59 17 24 
			 Southampton 712 295 545 46 19 35 
			 Leicestershire 1,778 1,220 2,260 34 23 43 
			 Leicester City 1,649 604 374 63 23 14 
			 Rutland 111 70 187 30 19 51 
			 Staffordshire 2,595 1,644 2,531 38 24 37 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 751 280 261 58 22 20 
			 Wiltshire 1,631 282 2,082 41 7 52 
			 Swindon 475 235 481 40 20 40 
			 Bracknell Forest 203 135 460 25 17 58 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 311 191 842 23 14 63 
			 West Berkshire 294 211 782 23 16 61 
			 Reading 363 159 420 39 17 45 
			 Slough 483 201 274 50 21 29 
			 Wokingham 323 231 1,043 20 14 65 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,544 882 2,496 31 18 51 
			 Peterborough 564 276 475 43 21 36 
			 Cheshire(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Halton 438 210 266 48 23 29 
			 Warrington(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Devon 3,300 1,242 1,719 53 20 27 
			 Plymouth 1,170 416 501 56 20 24 
			 Torbay 612 220 234 57 21 22 
			 Essex 3,041 1,608 4,650 33 17 50 
			 Southend 488 193 421 44 18 38 
			 Thurrock 235 136 205 41 24 36 
			 Herefordshire 685 349 522 44 22 34 
			 Worcestershire 1,794 1,101 2,172 35 22 43 
			 Kent 4,163 2,196 3,821 41 22 38 
			 Medway 637 439 585 38 26 35 
			 Lancashire 5,189 2,119 3,527 48 20 33 
			 Blackburn 832 195 254 65 15 20 
			 Blackpool 578 214 178 60 22 18 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,097 1,363 2,435 36 23 41 
			 Nottingham *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Shropshire 1,113 583 1,007 41 22 37 
			 The Wrekin 548 231 398 47 20 34 
			 Cornwall 2,615 991 956 57 22 21 
			 Cumbria *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Gloucestershire 3,275 519 1,492 62 10 28 
			 Hertfordshire(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 Isle of Wight 577 255 278 52 23 25 
			 Lincolnshire 2,056 1,158 1,850 41 23 37 
			 Norfolk 2,303 1,178 1,869 43 22 35 
			 Northamptonshire 1,889 1,152 2,160 36 22 42 
			 Northumberland 1,158 619 1,229 39 21 41 
			 Oxfordshire 1,592 1,030 1,642 37 24 39 
			 Somerset 1,719 1,077 1,561 39 25 36 
			 Suffolk 2,081 1,204 2,011 39 23 38 
			 Surrey 2,497 1,469 6,195 25 14 61 
			 Warwickshire(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			 West Sussex(40) *— *— *— *— *— *— 
			
			  Regional Summary(41) 
			 North East 9,491 4,624 6,464 46 22 31 
			 North West 20,811 8,041 11,460 52 20 28 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 14,024 6,190 9,445 47 21 32 
			 East Midlands 12,824 7,246 11,967 40 23 37 
			 West Midlands 18,243 8,498 12,351 47 22 32 
			 South West 19,160 6,830 12,853 49 18 33 
			 East of England 12,231 6,460 14,207 37 20 43 
			 London 24,222 7,143 11,176 57 17 26 
			 South East 18,813 9,901 24,991 35 18 47 
			 England(42) 216,107 96,140 166,681 45 20 35 
		
	
	(38) Assessed by local education authorities to students normally domiciled in their area.
	(39) Includes students on courses where the fees were not subject to income-assessment (e.g. PGCE courses; and some other ITT courses; and some courses at private colleges).
	(40) Not all LEAs were able to provide full and accurate data in 1999–2000 on student support.
	(41) Care must be taken when comparing regional data as these are based on only those authorities able to provide full and accurate fees information and no allowance has been made for the missing authorities.
	* Data not available
	Source:
	F503G Student Support Survey

Further and Higher Education Act

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to revoke section 68(3) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 6 March 2002
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no such plans.

Ministerial Design Champion

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what meetings the Ministerial Design Champion for her Department has attended in his capacity as Design Champion in the last month; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Department's design champion has not been involved in any design championship activity in the last month.

Connexions Service

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information on the Connexion Card database may be passed to (a) other parts of Connexions and (b) other public or private agencies (i) with and (ii) without the agreement of the data subject.

Ivan Lewis: We anticipate that the name, address and date of birth on the young person's Connexions Card will be able to be used by the local Connexions Service to supplement the information that helps them to provide help and support to young people. Similarly, in order to run the scheme effectively, information may also be shared with the Learning and Skills Council. The arrangements governing the sharing of information comply with the Data Protection Act and section 114 of the Learning and Skills Act.
	The Privacy Statement distributed to all young people when they register as card members allows them to choose whether or not they are content for information about them to be passed to commercial partners in order to receive information on goods and services. This permission can be altered by the young person at any time via the Connexions Card website. The information provided to commercial partners will be no more than to allow the mailing of information and is subject to the approval of my Department.

Local Education Authorities (Funding)

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the amount of headteachers' time spent preparing bids for her Department's special funding;
	(2)  if she will list, for each local education authority, the schemes through which (a) the authority, (b) some or all maintained schools and (c) both are eligible to bid for additional funding; and what the aggregate additional funding paid through such schemes was, in the most recent year for which information is available.

Stephen Timms: No such assessment has been made.
	Most additional education funding is allocated and paid to local education authorities through the Standards Fund and Special Grants. In 2001–02 the Standards Fund is worth £2.9 billion of Government grant and Special Grant worth £1.1 billion.
	Almost all Standard Fund grants are allocated to LEAs on a formula basis and the Government expects LEAs to devolve grants to schools by a fair formula, in which case schools should not have to apply for grant. All Special Grants are allocated to local education authorities via a specified formula by which they must pass grant on to their schools.

Local Education Authorities

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will state, for each local education authority, whether they (a) have beacon status and (b) have failed an Ofsted inspection.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is as follows:
	LEAs in which DfES has intervened on the basis of an adverse Ofsted inspection report:
	Bradford
	Bristol 1
	Derby
	Doncaster
	Dudley
	Hackney
	Haringey
	Isles of Scilly
	Islington 1
	Leeds
	Leicester City 1
	Liverpool 1
	Redbridge
	Rochdale
	Rotherham 1
	Sandwell
	Sheffield
	South Tyneside
	Southwark
	Swindon
	Thurrock
	Waltham Forest
	Walsall
	1 LEAs that have subsequently been re-inspected and received a positive report
	LEAs that have been awarded Beacon status
	Year 1 (1999–2000)—"Helping to Raise Standards by Tackling School Failure"
	Blackburn with Darwen
	Camden
	North Tyneside
	Suffolk
	Year 2 (2000–01)—"Raising Attainment of Underachieving Groups"
	Camden
	North Lincolnshire
	York
	Year 3 (2001–02)—"Transition in Education"
	Results are due soon
	LEAs are awarded Beacon status for one year and are judged on their performance against a particular theme.

Shortage-subject Specialists

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what additional rewards are available to teachers trained to teach in primary education who subsequently become shortage-subject specialists.

Stephen Timms: The School Teachers' Pay Conditions Document 2001 allows employers to offer recruitment and retention allowances worth up to £5,085 a year to classroom teachers in any subject or phase.

Shortage-subject Specialists

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to extend golden hello payments to all teachers appointed as shortage- subject specialists in primary schools.

Stephen Timms: Golden Hellos are payable to eligible teachers in primary schools if they trained in a shortage subject and are responsible for teaching that subject to classes other than their own. My right hon. Friend has no present plans to change these criteria.

LORD CHANCELLOR

Community Court Orders

David Heath: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what recent discussions he has had with the police and magistrates courts committees concerning the enforcement of warrants for the breach of community court orders; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: Lead responsibility for execution of community penalty breach warrants was transferred from the police to the Magistrates Courts Committees on 1 April 2001. No targets were set for execution of these warrants during the first year of operation to enable baseline data to be collected.
	On 28 February the Lord Chancellor announced challenging targets for Magistrates Courts Committees for 2002–03 for enforcement of both financial and non-financial penalties. I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave on that day to my hon. Friend the Member for Cleethorpes (Shona McIsaac), Official Report, column 1554W.
	My officials have a constant dialogue with representatives of the magistrates courts service on this subject. The police now play a supporting but important role in enforcement in line with the National Framework Agreement between the Home Office and the Lord Chancellor's Department. This agreement is working well and so there have been no recent discussions between my Department and the police on this subject.

Auld Report

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what consideration he has made of recommendations 106 and 107 of the Review of the Criminal Courts of England and Wales by Lord Justice Auld, October 2001.

Michael Wills: The Government have taken no decisions on the report of Sir Robin Auld's Review. The period for comment closed on 31 January. The Government are now considering the recommendations in detail, taking account of the comments received. The Government will announce their conclusions by way of a White Paper in the spring.

Relocation Expenses

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what her policy is on the payment of relocation expenses to staff in his Department.

Rosie Winterton: In line with the Civil Service Management Code the Lord Chancellor's Department pays relocation expenses to staff who permanently transfer to another office, providing the following conditions apply: reimbursement is subject to a permanent compulsory move; the relocation terms are cost effective compared to the alternatives; and there must be a benefit to the Department or agency. Where posts are advertised with relocation terms then staff appointed to those posts may be entitled to reimbursement of their relocation expenses in accordance with our internal guidance.

Gravesend County Court

Chris Pond: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many (a) default unliquidated amounts, (b) default fixed amounts and (c) possession actions were issued by Gravesend county court in each six month period from January 1999.

Michael Wills: Figures concerning the above are provided in the table. However, since a breakdown of default claims is not collected as requested, a total figure has been provided instead.
	
		Default claims and possessions actions issued at Gravesend county court during selected periods
		
			  Total default claims Total possession actions issued(42) 
		
		
			 January 1999 to June 1999 489 197 
			 July 1999 to December 1999 439 252 
			 January 2000 to June 2000 409 215 
			 July 2000 to December 2000 436 182 
			 January 2001 to June 2001 357 190 
			 July 2001 to December 2001 483 235 
		
	
	(42) Includes mortgage and rent actions.

Gravesend County Court

Chris Pond: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many fixed date actions, excluding default fixed amounts, default unliquidated amounts and possession action, were issued by Gravesend county court in each six-month period from January 1999.

Michael Wills: The figures requested are provided in the table.
	
		Fixed date actions issued at Gravesend county court during selected periods
		
			  Fixed date actions 
		
		
			 January 1999 to June 1999 38 
			 July 1999 to December 1999 78 
			 January 2000 to June 2000 54 
			 July 2000 to December 2000 94 
			 January 2001 to June 2001 12 
			 July 2001 to December 2001 56

Forfeiture

David Lepper: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects to publish a draft bill on the reform of forfeiture.

Michael Wills: The Law Commission published a draft Termination of Tenancies Bill in 1994. It proposed the abolition of a landlord's right to terminate a tenancy by physical re-entry and by way of a court order for possession. A subsequent Law Commission consultative document reiterated the proposal to abolish all means of forfeiture. It also proposed, in relation to commercial properties only, that either the original proposals stand or that there should be a statutory right in very limited circumstances for a landlord physically to re-enter the property. The majority of responses to the consultation favoured the second option.
	The Law Commission expects to publish a revised draft Bill in 2003.

Forfeiture

David Lepper: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the scope is of the inquiry into forfeiture being carried out by the Law Commission; and when he expects the Law Commission to publish the results of its inquiry.

Michael Wills: The scope of the current work being carried out by the Law Commission is:
	"That an examination be made of the law relating to the termination of tenancies, to facilitate the implementation of the report previously published [Landlord and Tenant Law, Termination of Tenancies Bill, 1994 Law Com No 221], with a view to modernising and simplification of the law in this area".
	The Law Commission is currently reconsidering the draft Bill (attached to the 1994 report) in order that it might be brought into line with changes in civil court procedure, the enactment of the Human Rights Act 1998 and changes in case law.
	The Law Commission expects that the result of this work will be published in final form in 2003.

Courts (Northern Ireland)

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the size of the annual case load is in each type of court in Northern Ireland; and what her estimate of the annual case load based on the proposals contained in the Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill is.

Rosie Winterton: The annual case load for the years 1999 and 2000 for the various tiers of court in Northern Ireland are shown in the tables. The case load figures for the 2001 calendar year are currently being compiled.
	It is not anticipated that the proposals contained in the Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill will result in significant variation in overall case load size. There will be a redistribution of business as between the magistrates courts and the youth court consequent on the proposal to bring 17-year-olds within the ambit of the youth court. It is estimated that the business of the youth court will increase by some 50 per cent.
	However, it is also expected that, as the pre-court restorative justice diversionary conferences provided for come on line, there may be reductions in the numbers of cases appearing before the youth courts. It is not possible to estimate the numbers of such reductions at this time.
	
		Magistrates courts business dealt with—1999
		
			  Case Load 
		
		
			 Civil applications(43) 38,664 
			 Criminal defendants(44) 50,702 
			  
			 Total 89,366 
		
	
	(43) Combines civil applications (33,562) and children order applications (5,102).
	(44) Combines criminal defendants (48,777) and youth defendants (1,925).
	
		Business dealt with 1999—County courts, Crown courts, High Court
		
			  Case Load 
		
		
			 County courts  
			 Civil business 45,440 
			 Criminal business 2,451 
			 Total 47,891 
			   
			 Crown courts  
			 Civil business 103 
			 Criminal business 900 
			 Total 1,003 
			   
			 High Court  
			 Civil business 21,045 
			 Criminal business 53 
			 Total 21,098 
		
	
	
		Magistrates courts business dealt with—2000
		
			  Case Load 
		
		
			 Civil applications(45) 38,604 
			 Criminal defendants(46) 50,034 
			 Total 88,638 
		
	
	(45) Combines civil applications (33,541) and children order applications (5,063).
	(46) Combines criminal defendants (48,042) and youth defendants (1,992).
	
		Business dealt with 2000—County courts, Crown courts, High Court
		
			  Case Load 
		
		
			 County courts  
			 Civil business 46,368 
			 Criminal business 2,216 
			 Total 48,584 
			 Crown courts  
			 Civil business 215 
			 Criminal business 963 
			 Total 1,178 
			   
			 High Court  
			 Civil business 21,410 
			 Criminal business 69 
			 Total 21,479

Capita Group

Boris Johnson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the contracts that have been awarded to the Capita Group by the Department.

Michael Wills: As the question does not specify a time period the Lord Chancellor's Department, incorporating its associated offices and the Court Service, provides information from 1997 onwards:
	
		
			 Year/contracts £ 
		
		
			 1997–98  
			 Nil  
			 1998–99  
			 2 contracts 20,377.50 
			 1999–2000  
			 1 contract 1,151.50 
			 2000–01  
			 5 contracts 22,985.94 
			 2001–02(47)  
			 Nil  
		
	
	(47) To date
	The contracts were for the provision of business, management and specialist recruitment consultancy services.

Advertising

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will list the publicity and advertising campaigns run by the Lord Chancellor's Department in each of the last four years, specifying the (a) purpose, (b) cost to public funds, (c) number of staff involved and (d) method of evaluation in each case.

Rosie Winterton: The information is presented in the tables.
	My Department conducts publicity and advertising campaigns to raise awareness among the public or legal specialists of new rights and responsibilities due to new legislation, to raise awareness of new services, or to recruit new members of the judiciary or for departmental staff recruitment.
	We do not record the number of staff involved in any individual piece of work.
	
		
			   Activity  (a) Purpose (b) Cost to public funds (£) (c) Number of staff involved  (d) Method of evaluation 
		
		
			 1997–98  
			 Public Record Office Local press advertising To promote ad hoc open days/PRO exhibitions To raise public awareness of PRO publications Total: 4,465 n/a Attendance/group types at events is recorded, but not attributed to specific advertisements 
			 Land Registry Local press advertising To raise public awareness of lost land certificates 13,580 n/a Response to each advert is monitored 
			   
			 1998–99  
			 LCDHQ National press advertising via COI To encourage diverse recruitment of lay magistracy Total: 450,500 n/a Monitored response to adverts via an inquiry line for information literature 
			 Public Record Office Local press advertising To promote ad hoc open days/PRO exhibitions Total: 7,640 n/a Attendance/group types at events is recorded, but not attributed to specific advertisements 
			  Trade press adverts and targeted mailshots To raise public awareness of PRO publications   Demand for publications is monitored 
			 Land Registry Local press advertising To raise public awareness of lost land certificates 9,625 n/a Response to each advert is monitored 
			 Court Service Local press advertising To publicise court closures, as part of implementation of civil justice reforms 5,345 n/a  
			   
			 1999–2000  
			 Public Record Office Local press advertising To promote ad hoc open days/PRO exhibitions Total: 2,710 n/a Attendance/group types at events is recorded, but not attributed to specific advertisement 
			  Trade press adverts and targeted mailshots To raise public awareness of PRO publications   Demand for publications is monitored 
			 Land Registry Local press advertising To raise public awareness of lost land certificates 13,960 n/a Response to each advert is monitored 
			 Court Service Local press advertising To publicise court closures or staff recruitment drives, as part of implementation of civil justice reforms 18,960 n/a N/a at this stage 
			   
			 2000–01  
			 LCDHQ Multi-media campaign (National and local advertising campaign) To launch national roll-out of the Community Legal Service to stakeholders and the public. And to increase public awareness of Family Mediation 4,283,780 n/a COI conducted tracking research of public awareness of CLS logo and service 
			 Public Record Office Local press advertising To promote ad hoc open days/PRO exhibitions Total: 8,950 n/a Attendance/group types at events is recorded, but not attributed to specific advertisements. 
			  Trade press adverts/mailshots To raise public awareness of PRO publications   Demand for publications is monitored. 
			  Trade press advertising To promote PRO website to schools   Number of hits to website monitored 
			  Regional talks/exhibitions To promote availability of 1901 Census website   N/a at this stage 
			 Land Registry Local press advertising To raise public awareness of lost land certificates 2,505 n/a Response to each advert is monitored 
			 Court Service Local press advertising Staff recruitment 13,000 n/a Not available at this stage 
			 NICS Local press advertising Lay Magistracy recruitment 4,800 n/a Not available at this stage.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Empty Properties

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 6 February 2002, Official Report, column 943W, what the total area in square feet of all empty properties owned by (a) his Department, (b) his agencies and (c) other public bodies for which he has had responsibility was in each year since May 1997.

Christopher Leslie: Information requested, covering 1997–98 to 2000–01 (inclusive), is as follows.
	
		
			  Square feet 
		
		
			 1997–98 179,000 
			 1998–99 292,000 
			 1999–2000 292,000 
			 2000–01 160,000 
		
	
	With one exception, which is the subject of a forthcoming PFI, all buildings were surplus to the Department's requirements and were in the process of being disposed.
	Notes:
	1. The figures are for the "core" of the Department as none of its agencies, nor non-departmental public bodies have owned any empty properties.
	2. Excluded from the figures is the project, commenced in 1998–99, to refurbish three vacant buildings. The first of these (Admiralty Arch) was completed and occupied by staff in 2000–01. When the other two buildings (Kirkland House and the Ripley Building) are completed in 2002–03, they will form 22 Whitehall; one of the Department's major buildings.

Press and Public Relations

Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many press releases were issued by his Department (a) between 1 May and 31 December 1997 and (b) in each year from 1998 to 2001 inclusive.

Christopher Leslie: The Cabinet Office released 159 press notices between 1 May and 31 December 1997.
	The number of press notices the Cabinet Office released for each calendar year from 1998 to 2001 is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1998 277 
			 1999 343 
			 2000 433 
			 2001 203 
		
	
	The Cabinet Office press office also issues press releases on behalf of the Privy Council Office. The figures for 1997, 1998 and 1999 include operational notes/invitations. The figures for 1999 and 2000 also include press notices issued by the Year 2000 Media Co-ordination Unit, which operated from the Cabinet Office.

Press and Public Relations

Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people were employed in a press or public relations function in his Department on 1 January in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and (f) 2002.

Christopher Leslie: Before 1998 the number of press officers in the Cabinet Office press office is available only as an average for financial years. In the financial year 1996–97 the average number of press officers was seven.
	The number of press officers employed in the Cabinet Office press office since 1998 is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 January 1998 11 
			 January 1999 14 
			 1 January 2000 20 
			 1 January 2001 16 
			 1 January 2002 18 
		
	
	The Cabinet Office press office does not have specific personnel for performing public relations functions. Where required the press officers would fulfil some of this role.

Government Regional Offices (England)

John Redwood: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) running cost and (b) total budget is of the English Government regional offices in 2001–02.

Barbara Roche: The administrative running costs (including a small capital allocation) for each of the Government Offices for the Regions for 2001–02 are given in the table.
	
		£000 
		
			 GO Running costs 2001–02 
		
		
			 North East 9,694 
			 North West 15,255 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 10,467 
			 West Midlands 10,184 
			 East Midlands 8,388 
			 East 9,238 
			 South West 11,707 
			 South East 10,330 
			 London(48) 21,325 
			  
			 Total 106,588 
		
	
	(48) GO London figures include the Regional Co-ordination Unit

Job Sharing

John Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the extent of job sharing in his Department.

Christopher Leslie: The Cabinet Office currently employs 12 members of staff on a job share contract.
	The Cabinet Office is committed to supporting part- time working, job-sharing and other forms of alternative working patterns. It is Cabinet Office policy that all advertised posts will normally be open to anyone wishing to work an alternative working pattern, including part-timers and job sharers although there will be some instances where this is not possible due to the nature of the work. The flexibility of any alternative working pattern is decided in conjunction with local management to suit an individual's needs and the needs of their work.

Non-Governmental Organisation

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the non-Governmental organisations operating in the South West Region that receive public funds from his Department; and what amount of annual funding they received in the most recent year for which figures are available.

John Prescott: Details of non-governmental organisations which receive grants from the Cabinet Office can be found on page 143 of the Cabinet Office Departmental Report 2001 (Cm 5119).
	Information is not held about the regions covered by the non-governmental organisations which receive grants from the Cabinet Office.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

BSE

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when, and by whom, she was informed of the latest cases of meat from the offspring of BSE-infected cows entering the food chain; and when she informed the Food Standards Agency.

Margaret Beckett: DEFRA headquarters were verbally informed by the Animal Health Divisional Office on Friday 8 February. Ministers and the Food Standards Agency were informed on Monday 11 February when a more detailed report of the incident was received.

BSE

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she is taking in relation to the latest instances of meat from the offspring of BSE infected cows which has entered the food chain; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: We are urgently checking to see whether there are any more cases and enhancing our computer systems to reduce the risk of this happening in future. We have also reminded farmers that animals subject to restriction notice must not enter the food chain.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the farms in North Yorkshire which became foot and mouth infected premises after their appeal against her Department's decision to cull on their land was upheld by the Divisional Veterinary Manager.

Margaret Beckett: The seven farms were premises under the following ownership:
	D. M. and R. E. Capstick of Bellbusk parish, Settle— IP 2001/1739
	P. T. Stephenson of Bishopdale parish—IP 2001/1812
	Mr. and G. D. Beresford of Haltonwest parish, Settle— IP 2001/1663
	J. H. Clarke Partners of Kepwick parish, Thirsk—IP 2001/1930
	Bainbridge Partners of Lealholm parish, Whitby—IP 2001/1815
	Wade and Son of Linton parish, Settle—IP 2001/1770
	W. and D. Scaife and Son of Nether Silton parish, Thirsk— IP 2001/1847.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) sheep, (b) cattle and (c) other animals subject to the three kilometre cull policy during the foot and mouth outbreak in Cumbria were destroyed under voluntary arrangements; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 28 February 2002
	During the foot and mouth outbreak the following number of animals were slaughtered in Cumbria as a result of 3km cull arrangements:
	Sheep—405,557
	Pigs—3,344
	Goats—147.
	These data are based on DEFRA's Disease Control System (DCS) Database as at 25 February 2002. The figures may be subject to revision as DEFRA's data cleansing exercise is carried out and as more data becomes available.
	In the 3km cull animals were culled under the powers in the Animal Health Act 1981, on the basis that they had been exposed to infection. However, it was implemented by dealing first with those farms where keepers were willing to co-operate with the cull, hence the use of the term "voluntary cull" as a shorthand for the 3km cull operation.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the flock of sheep in Kirkby Stephen in which one animal was found to be foot and mouth antibody positive was tested for the presence of antibodies prior to its arrival on the farm.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 28 February 2002
	Yes, the flock of sheep from which the seropositive sheep originated had been tested previously for the presence of antibodies, with negative results.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether confirmed cases of foot and mouth are determined according to clinical signs of the disease, the presence of disease antibodies, the presence of a live virus, or by other means; and if she will make a statement on whether the criteria for determining infected premises has changed since 30 September.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 28 February 2002
	During last year's outbreak, diagnosis of food and mouth disease (FMD) was normally confirmed by the National Disease Control Centre on the basis of clinical observations of a veterinary inspector on the spot. Some cases were confirmed on the basis of laboratory tests which confirmed the presence of FMD antibodies or virus. It is nearly five months since the last outbreak of foot and mouth and confirmation of any future case would need to be based on laboratory tests that confirm the presence of the virus.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports she has received from police officers on police involvement in the culling of animals during the foot and mouth epidemic.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 11 March 2002
	The Department has received no reports on police involvement in the culling of animals during the foot and mouth epidemic.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many suspected cases of foot and mouth disease there have been since 30 September.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 4 March 2002
	Since 30 September there have been 75 suspected cases of foot and mouth disease reported in the United Kingdom. All have been thoroughly investigated and in all cases no evidence of the foot and mouth virus was found.
	Notes:
	This figure includes:
	Report cases which were later cleared on clinical examination;
	Slaughter on Suspicion (SOS) and Test on Suspicion (TOS) animals slaughtered on the grounds of suspected clinical signs of the disease.
	Not included in this figure:
	Flocks and animals in flocks which were slaughtered on the basis of sero-positive reactions where there were no clinical signs of disease are not classified as suspect cases as these animals were slaughtered because DEFRA had evidence that the animals had been exposed to infection but there were no grounds to suspect disease.
	Source:
	DEFRA Disease Control System database as at 12:00 on 4 March 2002—figures are subject to change as more data become available.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what dates, within the last two years, orders have been placed for the manufacture and printing of signs and notices indicating that the public should keep off premises owing to the presence of foot and mouth disease.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 4 March 2002
	The Department keeps stocks of a range of warning notices for the control of food and mouth disease. The following orders were placed by the Animal Disease Control Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with the Department's own printing services.
	(i) On 22 February 2001, an order for the printing of notice FM44 which says "Please keep out".
	(ii) On 6 March 2001, an order for the printing of notice FM25, which says "No admittance on account of FMD".
	(iii) On 24 may 2001, an order for the printing of poster FM28 "Notice to the General Public in FMD Infected Areas".
	Information on orders placed by local Animal Health Offices and Disease Control Centres is not readily available.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the contractors involved in the slaughter and disposal of animals at Sparum Farm, Kidderminster, during the foot and mouth epidemic; and what the cost to public funds of their work was.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 4 March 2002
	The contractors involved in the slaughter and disposal of animals at Sparum Farm, Kidderminster, during the foot and mouth epidemic were: F. M. Caine and Sons, Ruttle Plant Hire Ltd. and Farm Assist Ltd. The invoices and accounts for this work have not been finalised.

Foot and Mouth

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 212W, on culls, what measures she is taking to compensate those animal owners whose appeals against culls were upheld; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Compensation at market value is paid to farmers whose animals are slaughtered as part of foot and mouth disease control measures taken under the Animal Health Act 1981.

Foot and Mouth

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what basis the decision was taken for interviews with Ministers and senior officials not to be recorded verbatim during the Anderson Lessons Learned inquiry; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 5 March 2002
	This is a matter for the Lessons Learned inquiry. The conditions under which any person will be interviewed (not just Ministers and senior officials) in London by the inquiry are outlined in Dr. Anderson's "Procedures for Gathering Information at Inquiry Meetings", which is available on the Lessons Learned website.

Foot and Mouth

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 212W, on foot and mouth disease monitoring, how many sentinel animals have been tested for foot-and-mouth since restocking of culled premises began; and what proportion were identified as carrying the foot-and-mouth (a) live virus and (b) antibody.

Elliot Morley: 189,694 blood samples from sentinel animals have been tested since restocking began. Six samples (0.003 per cent.) have tested positive for Foot and Mouth Disease antibodies. No live virus has been detected.

Livestock Markets

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on hauliers of new biosecurity requirements at livestock markets.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 7 March 2002
	Interested parties, including the Road Haulage Association (RHA), were consulted on the new biosecurity arrangements at livestock markets. These procedures form a key part of the Interim Animal Movements Regime introduced on 11 February. We are monitoring the operation of the new controls on cleansing and disinfection of vehicles and the impact they are having on hauliers and officials are in regular contact with the RHA about this.

Lottery Funds

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with (a) DCMS and (b) lottery distributing bodies regarding the use of Lottery funds to support projects in rural areas.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 4 March 2002
	The Minister for Rural Affairs met with the Under- Secretary for Culture, Media and Sport on 20 February, during which this issue was discussed. He is also holding a series of round-table meetings with the Community Fund and other relevant bodies, to discuss how we can better focus lottery distribution on rural areas.
	On 1 March the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport announced the Community Fund's launch of a £10 million initiative to help those rural areas that have received low funding by the lottery in the past.

Illegally Logged Wood

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she is taking to seize shipments of illegally logged wood.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 4 March 2002
	When a shipment of wood arrives in the UK Her Majesty's Customs and Excise have powers under section 49 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 to seize any shipment presented for clearance that has been imported contrary to a prohibition or restriction.
	There are restrictions in relation to international trade in some woods under the terms of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Those species of wood listed in Appendix I and II of CITES require import permits from the UK before they can be brought in. These are issued only where the UK Management Authority (DEFRA) is satisfied that the wood has been legally obtained in the country of origin and has the necessary permit for export form that country. Other species listed in Appendix III of CITES do not require import permits. For these species a self-completed import notification form must be presented to HM Customs prior to the arrival of the specimens, together with the relevant export permit(s) or certificate(s) of origin issued by the Management Authority in the exporting country. Both of these provide controls against illegal imports of wood.

Badger Culling

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what interim assessment has been made of evidence from the badger culling trials in Triplets B, C and F.

Elliot Morley: On the basis of advice from the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG), results from the badger field trial, which is part of the Government's wide ranging strategy to tackle TB in cattle, are expected by the end of 2004. Preliminary findings have not yet emerged but the Government will continue to liaise closely with the ISG during the course of the trial.
	
		Triplet B—Devon/Cornwall
		
			   Trial Area  
			  Hartland B1 Putford B2 Bude B3 
		
		
			 Number of cattle herds in trial area 90 153 129 
			 
			 Historical incidence of TB in cattle in herds in trial area
			 Confirmed breakdowns:
			 Three year (1995–97) 37 48 35 
			 12 month (1997) 16 26 11 
			 
			 Annual incidence: 0.1370 0.1046 0.0904 
			 Three year (1995–97)(49)
			 12 month (1997)(49) 0.1778 0.1699 0.0853 
			 
			 Total surface area (trial area and inner buffer zone) (sq km)(50) 119 143 130 
			 Total area for which permission for trial operations was sought (trial area and inner buffer zone) (sq km) 114 125 120 
			 Number of land occupiers visited in trial area and inner buffer zone 164 270 232 
			 Treatment Reactive Proactive Survey only 
			 
			 Aggregated data on badger removal operations in localised areas under the 'interim strategy' 1986–97
			 Total number of badgers caught 306 377 331 
			 Percentage of badgers caught found to be infected with TB 32 20 37 
			 
			 Number of badgers trapped during the course of the trial to date 107 397 None 
		
	
	
		Triplet C—East Cornwall
		
			   Trial Area  
			  Otterham C1 Launceston C2 Lanreath C3 
		
		
			 Number of cattle herds in trial area 151 180 107 
			 
			 Historical incidence of TB in cattle in herds in trial area
			 Confirmed breakdowns:
			 Three year (1996–98) 21 16 14 
			 12 month (1998) 7 9 5 
			 
			 Annual incidence:
			 Three year (1996–98)(49) 0.0464 0.0296 0.0436 
			 12 month (1998)(49) 0.0464 0.0500 0.0467 
			 
			 Total surface area (trial area and inner buffer zone) (sq km)(50) 145 157 151 
			 Total area for which permission for trial operations was sought (trial area and inner buffer zone) (sq km) 137 154 140 
			 Number of land occupiers visited in trial area and inner buffer zone 259 315 237 
			 Treatment Reactive Survey only Proactive 
			 Aggregated data on badger removal operations in localised areas under the 'interim strategy' 1986–97
			 Total number of badgers caught 162 360 257 
			 Percentage of badgers caught found to be infected with TB 19 24 22 
			 
			 Number of badgers trapped during the course of the trial to date 178 None 357 
		
	
	
		Triplet F—West Cornwall
		
			   Trial Area  
			  Madron F1 Godolphin F2 StithiansF3 
		
		
			 Number of cattle herds in trial area 137 206 253 
			 
			 Historical incidence of TB in cattle in herds in trial area
			 Confirmed breakdowns:
			 Three year (1997–99) 20 25 17 
			 12 month (1999) 6 19 8 
			 
			 Annual incidence:
			 Three year (1997–99)(49) 0.0487 0.0405 0.0224 
			 12 month (1999)(49) 0.0438 0.0922 0.0316 
			 
			 Total surface area (trial area and inner buffer zone) (sq km)(50) 145 149 164 
			 Total area for which permission for trial operations was sought (trial area and inner buffer zone) (sq km) 91 113 103 
			 Number of land occupiers visited in trial area and inner buffer zone 252 527 658 
			 Treatment Proactive Survey only Reactive 
			 
			 Aggregated data on badger removal operations in localised areas under the 'interim strategy' 1986–97
			 Total number of badgers caught 469 246 414 
			 Percentage of badgers caught found to be infected with TB 13 13 19 
			 
			 Number of badgers trapped during the course of the trial to date 451 None None 
		
	
	(49) Number of breakdowns divided by total number of herds (per annum), expressed as a decimal figure
	(50) Some of this surface area will automatically be unsuitable for trial operations (including, for example, settlements, airfields, roads, rivers, lakes, quarries, etc.)

Badger Culling

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evidence has been gathered from the badger culling trials in Triplets B, C and F.

Elliot Morley: Data from Triplets B, C and F is summarised in the table and is available on DEFRA's website at: http://defraweb/animalh/tb/. Other evidence has also been collected from these triplets including the prevalence of TB in badgers caught in the trial, locations of capture, and the number and location of cattle TB breakdowns in trial areas. These data have not been released so as not to discourage participation in the trial, or encourage either illegal killing of badgers or interference with trial operations.
	
		Triplet B—Devon/Cornwall
		
			   Trial area  
			  Hartland B1 Putford B2 Bude B3 
		
		
			 Number of cattle herds in trial area 90 153 129 
			 
			 Historical indicence of TB in cattle in herds in trial area:
			 
			 Confirmed breakdowns:
			 Three year (1995–97) 37 48 35 
			 12 month (1997) 16 26 11 
			 
			 Annual incidence:
			 Three year (1995–97)(51) 0.1370 0.1046 0.0904 
			 12 month (1997)(51) 0.1778 0.1699 0.0853 
			 Total surface area (trial area and inner buffer zone) (km(52))(52) 119 143 130 
			 Total area for which permission for trial operations was sought (trial area and inner buffer zone) (km(52)) 114 125 120 
			 Number of land occupiers visited in trial area and inner buffer zone 164 270 232 
			 Treatment Reactive Proactive Survey only 
			 Aggregated data on badger removal operations in localised areas under the 'interim strategy' 1986–97:
			 Total number of badgers caught 306 377 331 
			 Percentage of badgers caught found to be infected with TB 32 20 37 
			 Number of badgers trapped during the course of the trial to date 107 397 None 
		
	
	(51) Number of breakdowns divided by total number of herds (per annum), expressed as a decimal figure
	(52) Some of this surface area will automatically be unsuitable for trial operations (including, for example, settlements, airfields, roads, rivers, lakes, quarries, etc.)
	
		Triplet C—East Cornwall
		
			   Trial area  
			  Otterham C1 Launceston C2 Lanreath C3 
		
		
			 Number of cattle herds in trial area 151 180 107 
			 
			 Historical indicence of TB in cattle in herds in trial area:
			 
			 Confirmed breakdowns:
			 Three year (1996–98) 21 16 14 
			 12 month (1998) 7 9 5 
			 
			 Annual incidence:
			 Three year (1996–98)(53) 0.0464 0.0296 0.0436 
			 12 month (1997)(53) 0.0464 .05009 0.0467 
			 Total surface area (trial area and inner buffer zone) (km(54))(54) 145 157 141 
			 Total area for which permission for trial operations was sought (trial area and inner buffer zone) (km(54)) 137 154 140 
			 Number of land occupiers visited in trial area and inner buffer zone 259 315 237 
			 Treatment Reactive Survey only Proactive 
			 
			 Aggregated data on badger removal operations in localised areas under the 'interim strategy' 1986–97:
			 Total number of badgers caught 162 360 257 
			 Percentage of badgers caught found to be infected with TB (%) 19 24 22 
			 Number of badgers trapped during the course of the trial to date 178 None 357 
		
	
	(53) Number of breakdowns divided by total number of herds (per annum), expressed as a decimal figure
	(54) Some of this surface area will automatically be unsuitable for trial operations (including, for example, settlements, airfields, roads, rivers, lakes, quarries, etc.)
	
		Triplet F—West Cornwall
		
			   Trial area  
			  Madron F1 Godolphin F2 Stithians F3 
		
		
			 Number of cattle herds in trial area 137 206 253 
			 
			 Historical indicence of TB in cattle in herds in trial area:
			 
			 Confirmed breakdowns:
			 Three year (1997–99) 20 25 17 
			 12 month (1999) 6 19 8 
			 
			 Annual incidence:
			 Three year (1997–99)(55) 0.0487 0.0405 0.0224 
			 12 month (1999)(55) 0.0438 0.0922 0.0316 
			 Total surface area (trial area and inner buffer zone) (km(56))(56) 145 149 164 
			 Total area for which permission for trial operations was sought (trial area and inner buffer zone) (km(56)) 91 113 103 
			 Number of land occupiers visited in trial area and inner buffer zone 252 527 658 
			 Treatment Proactive Survey only Reactive 
			 
			 Aggregated data on badger removal operations in localised areas under the 'interim strategy' 1986–97:
			 Total number of badgers caught 469 246 414 
			 Percentage of badgers caught found to be infected with TB 13 13 19 
			 Number of badgers trapped during the course of the trail to date 451 None None 
		
	
	(55) Number of breakdowns divided by total number of herds (per annum), expressed as a decimal figure
	(56) Some of this surface area will automatically be unsuitable for trial operations (including, for example, settlements, airfields, roads, rivers, lakes, quarries, etc.)

Circus Animals

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will meet the All Party Group on Animal Welfare in order to discuss its recommendations on circus animals; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Department is currently consulting widely on the content of a possible Animal Welfare Bill. The consultation includes the issue of animals in circuses. I will be happy to meet the group as part of the consultation process.

Sheep Transportation

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the safety standards are for the transport of live sheep on ships; when they were last reviewed; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The requirements for the protection of welfare of sheep during transport on ships are set down in Directive 91/628/EEC as amended by Directive 95/29/EC and implemented in GB by the Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order 1997, as amended. We look forward to the European Commission's expected proposals to amend and update this directive.

Sheep Transportation

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times the ship the Kalifeh has 
	(1)  breached safety guidelines when carrying sheep since January 2000; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  been refused entry to a European port while carrying sheep; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Safety and standards in the maritime industry are a matter for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. With regard to standards for animal welfare, the MV Kalifeh 1 is known to have carried sheep twice from the UK. Both voyages were from Northern Ireland and the vessel was inspected by the Northern Ireland Veterinary Service and assessed as suitable to carry sheep. The vessel has not been refused entry to a European port following departure from the UK. However, on 16 February 2002 the French authorities refused a consignment of 274 sheep as a result of alleged irregularities in procedures relating to the animals which originated in the Republic of Ireland. This matter was resolved between the authorities in France and the Republic of Ireland.

Job Sharing

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the extent of job sharing in her Department.

Elliot Morley: It is departmental policy, as an equal opportunity employer, to meet requests for all types of flexible working, including part-time working and job sharing, wherever the nature of the work allows.
	There are currently 83 people employed in DEFRA on a job share contract.

Departmental Website

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total cost of her Department's website was in real terms in each of the last four years; and how many hits it received in each of those years.

Alun Michael: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was created only in June 2001. Many units across DEFRA contribute to the maintenance of the Department's website as part of their communications activities, and an overall figure cannot be arrived at without incurring disproportionate cost. The DEFRA website has received 30,581,206 hits between 8 June 2001, the date on which DEFRA was created, and 20 November 2001, the latest date for which usage statistics are currently available.

Relocation Expenses

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the payment of relocation expenses to staff in her Department.

Elliot Morley: Staff in DEFRA and its executive agencies who are transferred from one workplace to another in the Department's interest and at its instigation are reimbursed reasonable costs for expenses necessarily incurred in moving home where the distance between the old and new workplaces merits a home move.
	Where it is possible to travel between the old and new workplaces on a daily basis, the Department meets any increased travel and associated costs for a limited period.
	Limited help may also be available to new staff who need to move home to take up appointment with the Department.

Hunting

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated size of the (a) fox, (b) hunting dog and (c) hunting horse population in the UK has been in each year since 1995 for which figures are available.

Alun Michael: There is no way to collect such information, but the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs, which was chaired by my noble Friend Lord Burns and published in June 2000 (Cm 4763), estimates the pre-breeding fox population of England and Wales as 217,000. The population almost trebles in early summer.
	The report contains information based on data returned in response to a survey of hunts conducted by Produce Studies Ltd. in February 2000. This provided an estimate that there are 793 horses owned by hunts in England and Wales and 19,162 hounds used for hunting in England and Wales.

Dangerous Substance Rules

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what actions she is taking in response to the Reasoned Opinion relating to the dangerous substance directive and the waste oils directive.

Michael Meacher: The Government are dealing with points made by the Commission in its Reasoned Opinions relating to the implementation of directives concerning the classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous substances and the waste oils.

Pollution Control

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department has taken to (a) increase the rate of response in the local authority pollution control statistical survey and (b) assess the performance of inspection of polluting processes of those local authorities who failed to respond to the local authority pollution control statistical survey in 2000–01.

Michael Meacher: The rate of correct returns received at the time of publication of the 2000–01 statistical survey was 82 per cent.
	As a result of late returns and the inclusion of returns which had outstanding errors and queries at the time of publication, we now have a return rate of 92 per cent.
	We are pleased with this response rate, which we believe to be the result, among other things, of introducing electronic returns, despatching survey forms earlier, and improved guidance. We will, however, be writing to the 14 authorities that failed to send returns, and considering what steps can be taken to reduce errors and queries and tackle late returns, or whether it may be more sensible to publish the statistical report a little later in the year. We will also be contacting all authorities in the residual 8 per cent. to ascertain their inspection frequency in 2000–01.

Sustainable Construction

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will place in the Library copies of (a) the "Green Guide for Buyers" and (b) "Towards More Sustainable Construction".

Michael Meacher: Both documents can be found on the Greening Government website: the guide for buyers at http://defraweb/environment/greening/greenpro/greenbuy/ index.htm and the construction guide at http://defraweb/ environment/greening/land/suscon/index.htm. The "Green Guide for Buyers" was revised in February 2001 and produced in electronic format only as the information it contains needs to be updated regularly. However, copies of "Towards More Sustainable Construction in the Library—a green guide for managers on the Government estate" that was published in April 1999 will be placed in the Library.

Toxic Substances

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration she has given to further guidance and controls since the unauthorised disposals of toxic ash residues from the incinerator and fuel plants at Byker, Newcastle.

Michael Meacher: The Environment Agency is currently piloting new procedures to track the destination of ash following disposal by municipal waste incinerators. Subject to a satisfactory outcome of the pilot exercise, the agency intends to apply this approach to all municipal waste incinerators in England and Wales, and any other municipal waste derived fuel plant that is similar to the one at Byker.

Toxic Substances

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what quantity of toxic ash residues was disposed of in unauthorised ways from the incinerator and fuel plants at Byker, Newcastle; and how much of this material was dumped outside the city boundaries of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Michael Meacher: In its investigations the Environment Agency established that approximately 2,000 tonnes of ash from the Byker plant were deposited in and around Newcastle over a five-year period from 1993 to 1998 by Newcastle city council.
	There are two sites outside Newcastle upon Tyne that the Environment Agency has identified as receiving ash from the Byker plant. Approximately 11 tonnes was deposited at Northumbria Horse Holidays, Annfield Plain, Durham and 40 tonnes was deposited at Murton Riding School, Murton village, Shiremoor. Newcastle city council deposited the ash at the owners' requests for use as exercise arena surfacing.
	All ash deposits known to the Environment Agency in and around Newcastle have been removed by Newcastle city council and disposed of to an appropriately licensed landfill site.

Waste

David Curry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many hazardous waste landfill sites will be available when co-disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste is banned; what volume of hazardous waste will have to be disposed of in specialist sites; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 7 March 2002
	The EC landfill directive bans the co-disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste from July 2004.
	The choice about whether to operate co-disposal sites as hazardous or non-hazardous sites beyond July 2004 is a commercial decision for landfill operators. We will not have a clear picture of likely capacity until operators submit site conditioning plans in July 2002 stating the classification (hazardous, non-hazardous or inert) they are seeking for the site following the end of co-disposal.
	We are currently working with the waste industry and the Environment Agency to forecast how much hazardous waste will need to continue to be landfilled following the end of co-disposal. This will depend on the proportion of the total hazardous waste arising that can be recovered or recycled, the extent to which the waste can be treated to allow it to go to non-hazardous landfill sites, and the availability of alternative disposal routes such as incineration.

Parliamentary Questions

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when she will reply to the question tabled by the hon. and learned Member for Harborough for answer on 30 November 2001, on public speeches on agriculture;
	(2)  for what reason she has not provided an answer to the question tabled by the hon. and learned Member for Harborough on 28 November 2001, on public speeches on agriculture, ref. 20000.

Elliot Morley: holding answers 18 January and 7 March 2002
	I regret that the original question was overlooked. However, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State replied on 7 March 2002, Official Report, column 485W.

Public Appointments (Warrington, North)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people from Warrington, North she has appointed to non- departmental public bodies since 1997.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 5 March 2002
	To the best of my knowledge one person living in Warrington, North has been appointed to non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) by Ministers of this Department and it predecessors since 1997.

Home Energy Efficiency Scheme

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received regarding the specification of works under the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: HEES measures are installed to the requirements of two technical specifications: one for insulation the other for heating. The scheme uses a system of heating packs based on six property types rather than individually designed heating systems.
	The pack approach has been designed to meet the heating industry's codes of practice. The design process was carried out for my Department by Advantica, Gas and Research Technology Centre (a commercial arm of British Gas). In designing the heating packs Advantica took into account statistical data from the 1996 English House Condition Survey, in particular data relating to dwellings occupied by the over-60s on low-income.
	Both scheme managers have received comments on the scope of the scheme and its specifications, which we continue to keep under review.

Land Economy

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial support her Department makes available to landowners to promote stewardship of (a) wetlands and (b) woodlands.

Alun Michael: This Department and its agencies offer a broad range of land management agreements, which may provide landowners with financial support to promote stewardship of wetlands, woodlands and other types of land. Examples include the Environmentally Sensitive Areas, Countryside Stewardship and Farm Woodland Premium Schemes. The Forestry Commission's Woodland Grant Scheme provides financial support for the management, and planting, of woodland. These schemes are available through the England Rural Development Programme which offers £190 million in this financial year. It would be well-nigh impossible to separate out the spending on wetlands or woodlands and a couple of examples may help to explain why this is the case.
	The Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA) scheme includes some well-known wetlands (Somerset Levels; Broads; Suffolk River Valleys; Essex Coast; North Kent Marshes; Avon and Test Valleys). Total ESA payments to farmers in these areas will amount to £10 million this year. However, this figure would be difficult to separate into categories of land. In addition, the Environment Agency, English Nature and the Countryside Agency all make contributions to individual cases through their own mechanisms in pursuance of the objectives we have agreed with them.
	Taking the Somerset Levels as an example, in the raised water level area, the Environment Agency provides funds for sluices and the ESA scheme contributes towards land management and ditch maintenance. In parts, there is SSSI land on which England Nature provides grants under the Wildlife Enhancement Scheme. In the Suffolk River Valleys ESA, financial support to farmers comes from a combination of ESA funds and Countryside Stewardship support. The Environment Agency and English Nature also support some cases. Further public sector support is also available from the local authority. Some schemes are supported by private money from the RSPB and National Trust. Many of these cases would also cover land other than wetland and woodland.
	This joined up approach is now producing excellent results. The ESA and Countryside Stewardship schemes cover hundreds of individual cases which include wetland and woodland areas but dissecting the national spend on wetlands and woodland from each case could be achieved only at a disproportionate cost.

Tail Docking

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she plans to introduce legislation to ban the tail docking of dogs.

Elliot Morley: The Department is currently consulting widely on the content a possible Animal Welfare Bill. The consultation includes the issue of whether tail docking should be banned. A copy of the consultation document can be found on the DEFRA website www.defra.gov.uk.

Hens

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the scientific evidence upon which the Welfare of Laying Hens Directive 1999/74/EC was based.

Elliot Morley: The European Commission Scientific Veterinary Committee on Animal Welfare published a report on the Welfare of Laying Hens in October 1996. This report provided the basis for the Welfare of Laying Hens Directive 99/74/EC.

Waterways

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the accessibility of the UK's waterways to canoeists.

Alun Michael: The research report "Water-Based Sport and Recreation: the facts", published in December 2001, found that the lengths of water for canoeing on canals, rivers with public navigation rights and rivers with formal access agreement total 5,490 km. This amounts to 27 per cent. of the major river and canal network or 6 per cent. of the major and minor river and canal network.
	DEFRA officials are currently discussing the report with other Government Departments and agencies. Following those discussions, I shall consider what further work or action is needed in the light of the report's findings.

Warm Home Scheme

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Government's warm home scheme was introduced; how it was advertised to possible claimants; what overlap there was between this scheme and similar ones provided by local authorities; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 4 March 2002
	The two scheme managers, TXU and Eaga, were appointed in March 2000, this enabled them to start marketing the scheme prior to the launch date of 1 June 2000. The scheme managers adopted a number of forms of advertising.
	Referral networks were set up and are maintained by the scheme managers. Referral partners come into contact on a day-to-day basis with householders who may be eligible for assistance and are ideally placed to pass details directly to the scheme managers. These can involve local authority staff, Citizen Advice Bureaux, doctors, local health workers and Energy Efficiency Advice Centres.
	Leaflets were issued through targeted drops and stocks left at key local venues such as post offices, local authority reception areas, libraries and supermarkets. There was also some limited use of local advertising on the radio and posters inside buses.
	The consultation paper issued before the launch of the scheme, said that there would be limited funding for measures in the properties of social landlords, including properties owned by local authorities. This was limited to a maximum of £45 million or two years from the start of the scheme. All social funds available under the scheme have now been allocated.

Organic Action Plan

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will announce the organic action plan.

Elliot Morley: The development of the organic farming sector will be carried forward in the context of an organic action plan, taking account of the recommendations of the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food.

Refrigerators (Disposal)

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her understanding in December 1998 was of the purpose of, and requirements for the UK, of EU Regulation 2037/2000.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 11 February 2002
	The proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) on substances that deplete the ozone layer (ODS) was published by the European Commission on 14 August 1998. The environmental purpose of the regulation was to further protect the ozone layer during a decade when ozone depletion was expected to peak.

Refrigerators (Disposal)

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the requests made by her Department to the European Commission for clarification of the practical implications of implementing EU Regulation 2037/2000 in the UK.

Michael Meacher: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Gordon (Malcolm Bruce) on 25 February 2002, Official Report, column 922W.

Nitrates

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many replies she has received to the consultation paper on nitrate vulnerable zones; and if she will place a list of consultees in the Library.

Michael Meacher: As of 6 March 2002, we have received 12,696 replies to our consultation entitled "How Should England Implement the 1991 Nitrates Directive?".
	A list of responding consultees will be placed in the Library, though this will exclude those who have requested their reply be confidential. These currently number 2,535.

UN Ancient Forests Summit

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if (a) Ministers and (b) officials will attend the UN Ancient Forests Summit at the Hague in April.

Elliot Morley: The United Kingdom expects to send a delegation comprising officials from a wide range of Government Departments to the meeting formally known as the 6th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Forest biodiversity is one of the main issues on the agenda, and we are committed to seeking a successful outcome that will make a real contribution to the conservation and sustainable use of all forest biodiversity, including that in ancient forests.

Correspondence

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for South Suffolk of (a) 18 June on behalf of Ms Lesley Denny and Mrs. Eileen Denny, (b) 25 June on behalf of Mrs. J. M. Wellington, (c) 25 June welcoming her to her job, (d) 26 June on a public inquiry into foot and mouth disease, (e) 4 July on behalf of Mrs. A. R. Gascoigne, (f) 24 July on behalf of Mrs. J. Fenton, (g) 16 July on behalf of Mr. R. N. Bracher, (h) 24 July on behalf of Mrs. J. MacDonald, (i) 24 July on behalf of Mr. J. Sanderson, (j) 24 July on behalf of Mr. K. Bendon, (k) 23 July about cleaning and disinfection of farms affected by foot and mouth disease and (l) 30 July and 29 August on behalf of Mrs. P. M. Baylis.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 15 October 2001
	The hon. Member has received replies to the following:
	(a) 18 June on behalf of Ms Lesley Denny and Mrs. Eileen Denny, reply sent on 31 January 2002.
	(b) 25 June on behalf of Mrs. J. M. Wellington, reply sent on 26 January 2002.
	(c) 25 June welcoming her to her job, reply sent on 23 February 2002.
	(d) 26 June on a public inquiry into foot and mouth disease, reply sent on 23 February 2002.
	(f) 24 July on behalf of Mrs. J. Fenton, reply sent 23 January 2002.
	(h) 24 July on behalf of Mrs. J. MacDonald, reply sent 30 January 2002.
	(i) 24 July on behalf of Mr. J. Sanderson, reply sent 29 January 2002.
	(j) 24 July on behalf of Mr. K. Bendon, reply sent on 8 March 2002.
	(k) 23 July about cleaning and disinfection of farms affected by foot and mouth disease, reply sent 23 January 2002.
	(l) 30 July and 29 August on behalf of Mrs. P. M. Baylis, reply sent 5 January.
	We have no record of receiving letters (e) 4 July on behalf of Mrs. A. R. Gascoigne, and (g) 16 July on behalf of Mr. R. N. Bracher.

Small Businesses

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many registered small businesses there were in the United Kingdom, broken down by (a) category and (b) region in each year since 1990.

Nigel Griffiths: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of VAT registered businesses is the best available measure of the registered small business population. Most VAT registered businesses are small but the figures will include a small number of large business. Due to significant changes in the VAT threshold in 1991 and 1993 1 it is difficult to compare the 1994 to 2001 time series with previous data.
	The figures have been placed in the Library.

HEALTH

Health Spending

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what year he expects United Kingdom spending on health to equal the European average; on what basis this estimate is made; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The average health expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) of European Union countries has been around 7.9 to 8 per cent. for a number of years. By 2003–04 total health spending in the US will be around 7.6 per cent. of GDP. Spending plans beyond that time will be made in the coming spending review.
	This forecast is based on current national health service spending plans, and an assumption that private expenditure remains at around 1 per cent. of GDP.

Health Spending

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those health purchasing authorities which were overspent in 2000–01.

John Hutton: The annual accounts for 2000–01 show only one health authority—Bexley and Greenwich failed to achieve financial balance. The health authority merged on 1 April 2001.

Health Spending

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those health service budget heads which (a) were underspent in 2000–01 and (b) are expected to be underspent in the current year, in each case showing the extent of underspend.

John Hutton: The information requested for 2000–01 is contained in the Department of Health Appropriation Account and Expenditure Statements (HC 335-II 22 February 2002). A copy is held in the Library.
	Information for the current year will not be available until after the end of the financial year.

Health Spending

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the purchasing health authorities which were headed for a current year overspend between October and December 2001, stating (a) the then estimated overspend and (b) the latest estimated overspend.

John Hutton: By year-end we expect all health authorities to live within their agreed resource limits and not to overspend.

Heart Disease

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will indicate (a) when the National Institute for Clinical Excellence will commence its work into the investigation and management of heart failure, (b) whom the institute will invite to participate in the production of a clinical guideline and (c) when he anticipates that the institute will produce clinical guidelines into the investigation and management of heart failure; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The development of a guideline on the management of heart failure began in September 2001. The Chronic Condition Collaborating Centre has been asked to lead the development on behalf of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. The provisional date for publication of the guidelines is summer 2003. The collaborating centre will consult the organisations listed.
	British Heart Foundation
	British Geriatrics Society
	Medtronic
	AstraZeneca UK Ltd.
	Roche
	British In Vitro Diagnostics Association
	Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd.
	NHS Information Authority, (PHSMI Programme)
	Department of Health
	Family Heart Association
	Age Concern England
	Cardiomyopathy Association
	Contact a family
	Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
	Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
	Royal College of General Practitioners (Wales)
	Ambulance Service Association
	Association of British Clinical Diabetologists
	Royal College of Nursing
	Royal College of Anaesthetists
	Royal College of Midwives (Wales)
	Royal College of General Practitioners
	Royal College of Physicians
	Royal College of Nursing (Wales)
	Royal College of Surgeons of England.

Health Inequalities

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the extent of variation in access to health services in England.

Yvette Cooper: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The Department has commissioned a number of reviews to assess health inequalities, as well as National Service Frameworks which analyse the evidence and set out blueprints to raise standards and reduce variations. There are also a range of measures to assess performance (including national health service performance indicators which measure access). Improving access to health care is a core underpinning principle of the new NHS reforms and the NHS Plan sets out a substantial programme for addressing variations across the country.

Bed Blocking

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of days hospital beds are blocked because of local authority delays in providing (a) care packages and (b) aids or adaptations to patients' homes for each local authority area in the north-west; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Information is not available in the form requested. However, on 3 March 2002 some 82 people were in hospital beds in the north-west region awaiting public funding of post-hospital care, compared with 168 in August 2001. There were another 29 people awaiting domiciliary care packages of some form, compared with 45 in August 2001. It is not possible to break these down by local authority area.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letters to him dated 6 August 2001 and 25 September 2001 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr. S. Holden.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to my right hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my right hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The reply to my right hon. Friend's letters of 6 August and 25 September regarding his constituent Mr. Stephen Holden was sent on 5 November 2001.

Correspondence

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letter of 8 October from Sandi O'Donnell of Resvil to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State regarding a survey of carers' and patients' preferences in housing for people with learning disabilities.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	A reply was sent on 26 November 2001.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to reply to the letter of 24 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. A. Battersby.

John Hutton: I apologise to my right hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my right hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	A reply to the letter of 24 October from my right hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Gorton (Mr. Kaufman) about Mr. A. Battersby was sent to him on 11 December.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to reply to the letter of 31 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. E. Johnson.

Jacqui Smith: A reply was sent on 5 November.

Correspondence

Ann Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to reply to the letters of 25 September and 26 November 2001, from the right hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald about the provision of general practitioner services in Staplehurst.

John Hutton: I apologise to the right hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the right hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	A reply was sent on 8 March.

Correspondence

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will answer the letter of 3 September from the hon. Member for Woodspring on the treatment of British patients in European hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the cause of the delay.

John Hutton: holding answer 29 October 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	A reply was sent on 31 October 2001.

Correspondence

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will answer the letter of 22 August from the hon. Member for Woodspring on free nursing care; and if he will make a statement on the cause of the delay.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 29 October 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	A reply was sent on 31 October 2001.

Correspondence

Marion Roe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the hon. Member for Broxbourne will receive a reply to her letters of 6 December, 2 January, 29 January and 26 February relating to correspondence from her constituent Mr. Phillip Goldsmith of Broxbourne.

John Hutton: holding answer 4 March 2002
	A reply was sent on 8 March 2002.

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the hon. Member for West Worcestershire will receive an answer to the letter written to the Secretary of State for Social Security on 24 April on behalf of Mrs. Copson, which was transferred to his Department on 8 May (ref: POH (3)5505/6).

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	A reply to the hon. Member's letter was sent from the chief executive, National Health Service Pensions Agency, on 5 November 2001. I apologise for the unacceptable delay in replying to the hon. Member's correspondence, due to the Department not receiving the original correspondence transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions.

Correspondence

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will answer the letter of 19 March sent to him by the hon. Member for Rochford and Southend, East about his constituent, Ms Lesley Talbot.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The Department has no record of receiving this correspondence. The Department's ministerial correspondence unit requested a duplicate copy of the correspondence. The issues raised in the correspondence were the responsibility of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). DWP will arrange for a reply to be sent shortly.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the Public Service Agreement target for procurement savings by NHS trusts in 2001–02.

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	All national health service trusts have targets for procurement savings in their procurement strategies. They will all be measured against these targets by the Audit Commission and the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency and the results will be made available in April.
	Also, trusts have been set targets to increase efficiency across the range of services they provide. This is embodied in the new public service agreement target for value for money that was agreed as part of spending review 2000:
	"The cost of care commissioned from trusts which perform well against indicators of fair access, quality and responsiveness, will become the benchmark for the NHS. Everyone will be expected to reach the level of the best over the next five years, with agreed milestones for 2003–04."
	The aim of this new target is to ensure that cost-savings are not at the expense of service quality. The year 2001–02 is the first year covered by this new public service agreement target. We will be monitoring progress against this new target as data become available.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress towards meeting the Public Service Agreement target of a reduction in the death rate from suicide and undetermined injury by at least 20 per cent. by 2010.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 23 October 2001 Official Report, column 147W.

General Practitioners

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish an evaluation of the NHS Executive North West's recruitment of foreign general practitioners.

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The Department is working with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges to establish a suitable evaluation process for the international recruitment programme including the recruitment of general practitioners from abroad in the north-west.

General Practitioners

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of GPs in (a) Pendle and (b) East Lancashire are due to retire before 2004; what steps he is taking to attract young doctors to the area; and if he will make a statement.

Diane Abbott: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002 Official Report, column 192W.
	Figures are not available centrally in the format requested. However, during 2002–03, 14 (5.1 per cent.) general practitioners (GPs) in the East Lancashire Health Authority area are expected to retire. A further 8 (2.9 per cent.) GPs are due to retire during 2003–04.
	18 GPs currently within the Pendle Primary Care Group are aged over 55.
	East Lancashire Health Authority is pursuing a number of initiatives both in the long and short term to help address the problems in recruiting and retaining GPs.
	Notes:
	These figures have been extracted from a study by Lancashire University in 1998 relating to workforce planning for general medical and other primary care staff.

General Practitioners

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs are expected to be recruited to carry out GP appraisals; if these GPs will be expected to continue in general practice; what remuneration they will receive for performing appraisals; and what estimate has been made of the amount of time a GP appraiser would be expected to spend on appraisals in a calendar year.

John Hutton: holding answer 6 November 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	General practitioners (GPs) who are to be GP appraisers should be practising general practitioners. To date, primary care trusts and groups have identified over 900 such GPs to participate in the initial appraiser training programme, which starts this month.
	This programme is intended to provide an initial cohort of trained GP appraisers. It is, however, for Primary Care Trusts themselves, working with their local GPs, to decide how many GP appraisers they each need, the level of commitment required and the remuneration to offer. These decisions may be informed by the work commissioned by my Department from the School of Health and Related Research at the University of Sheffield which suggests it is reasonable to expect a GP appraiser to undertake between 10 and 25 appraisals annually.

Information for Health Strategy

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 26 November 2001, Official Report, column 737W, when his Department expects to receive the assessment by Professor Protti of the Information for Health Strategy.

John Hutton: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The report commissioned from Prof. Protti by the Information Policy Unit and the NHS Information Authority to inform internal thinking about policy and development issues in implementing "Information for Health" has now been received and is being considered.

PFI Contracts

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in how many current NHS private finance initiative contracts a preferred bidder was designated; and in respect of how many of these the preferred bidder did not get the contract.

John Hutton: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	53 private finance initiative (PFI) schemes with a capital value of over £10 million appointed preferred bidders of which 42 have proceeded to sign contracts and 11 are still in negotiations.
	A further seven (PFI) schemes with a capital value of over £10 million appointed preferred bidders, but did not proceed on to sign contracts.
	Detailed information is not held centrally for schemes with a capital value below £10 million.

NHS Waiting Lists

Julia Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of a correlation between NHS waiting lists and consultants' income from private patients.

John Hutton: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	From the small number of studies related to this issue no conclusions either way can be drawn from the current evidence on any correlation between NHS waiting lists and consultants' income from private patients.

Speech Therapists

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the allocation of speech and language therapists for children with (a) severe learning difficulty and (b) moderate learning difficulty.

Jacqui Smith: Speech and language therapists have a broad range of responsibilities and children with severe and moderate learning difficulties are one of many important groups they can help. The proportion of their time devoted to the treatment of people with severe and moderate learning difficulties varies according to local needs assessment.

Children's Refuges

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children's refuges there are; where they are located; and how much his Department contributes to funding their operation.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 17 July 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	There is one children's refuge, which is located in London. Funding for the refuge is provided by the Department of Health and by the Greater London Association of Directors of Social Services (GLADSS). For the financial years 2001–02 and 2002–03, each member of GLADSS has contributed 0.9 per cent. of their Quality Protects grant towards the refuge's costs. The Department acts as a conduit for this funding as well as making its own financial contribution. The approximate funding required for the coming financial year (2002–03) will be in the region of £390,000.

Whittington Hospital

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will commence a programme for the refurbishment of the Whittington hospital; and if he will state (a) the total cost, (b) the cost of financing by the public sector and (c) the cost of funds from private sources.

John Hutton: holding answer 15 October 2001
	I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The first stage of development, which is mainly new build, at the Whittington is expected to commence in April 2002 with a total building cost of around £28 million. £3.9 million is being funded publicly and is currently under way. £24.1 million is expected to be provided by the private sector. Future planned works are currently in the earliest planning stages and capital costs for these are not currently available.

Residential Homes

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residential homes (a) in the private sector and (b) owned by local authorities have closed since 1 May 1997.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 October 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The table shows the number of residential care homes by sector, in England on 31 March in each of the last five years. These figures take account of new homes, those that closed and those that made changes to their registration status or extended their existing facilities. It is not possible to determine the precise number of homes that have closed from this information.
	
		Residential care homes, 1997 to 2001, England, as at 31 March -- Rounded numbers
		
			  Residential care homes(57) (a) Private sector residential care homes(58) (b) Local authority staffed homes 
		
		
			 1997 24,500 22,200 2,300 
			 1998 24,900 22,700 2,200 
			 1999 24,800 22,700 2,100 
			 2000 24,800 22,700 2,000 
			 2001 24,100 22,200 1,900 
		
	
	(57) Includes dual registered homes.
	(58) Consists of voluntary, private, small homes and dual registered homes.
	Note:
	Figures may not add to totals because of rounding.
	Source:
	Department of Health annual returns.

Treatment Abroad

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what legal advice he has received on the European Court of Justice judgment for receiving health care treatment abroad; and if he will place it in the Library.

John Hutton: holding answer 1 November 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Legal advice was received from two counsel. It is not normal practice to publish advice obtained by the Secretary of State and there is no reason to depart from that practice in this case.

Outpatient Waiting Times

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the maximum permitted out-patient waiting time is for NHS patients; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: holding answer 14 November 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The waiting time standard as set out in the Patient's Charter for a first out-patient appointment from general practitioner (GP) referral is for patients to be seen within 26 weeks. The service is aiming to achieve no patients waiting over 26 weeks following GP referral by the end of March 2002 as a first step towards reducing the maximum wait to three months by the end of March 2005.

Suicide

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the change in the suicide rate between the 1995 and 1997 baseline and the most recent data.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 November 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 23 October 2001, Official Report, column 147W. There are insufficient data available to assess whether the recent rise is a reliable indicator of a particular trend.

Suicide

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the proportion of young men who commit suicide while suffering from mental illness; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 November 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness collect data on suicides by people in contact with mental health services in the year before death. In March 2001, the inquiry published its five-year report, "Safety First", which was based on the detailed study of 5,582 suicides by psychiatric patients in the UK between 1996 and 2000.
	The inquiry is crucial to gaining a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding homicides and suicides committed by people with mental illness. The Department is committed to taking appropriate action in response to the findings of the inquiry.

Ward Refurbishments

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funds have been made available to hospital trusts in the last five years specifically for the refurbishment of hospital wards.

John Hutton: holding answer 11 January 2002
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The general policy over the last five years has been that the refurbishment of hospital wards is one of the priorities funded from the general capital that is available to national health service trusts. The private finance initiative is also being used to refurbish wards. A summary of capital investment available to the NHS Hospitals and Community Health Service (HCHS) over the last five years is:
	
		HCHS capital spending -- £ million
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Government spending 1,068 782 928 1,353 1,949 
			 Receipts from land sales 471 500 549 575 351 
			 PFI investment 58 170 381 632 788 
			  
			 Total investment 1,597 1,452 1,858 2,560 3,088 
		
	
	Source:
	Figures taken from 2001–02 departmental report
	During the last five years two budgets have been set up, both in 2001–02, to target funds specifically at ward refurbishment.
	
		
			 Year Budget £ million 
		
		
			 2001–02 Refurbishment of psychiatric wards 15 
			 2001–02 Conversion of Nightingale wards 40

Prescribing Budgets

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expected level of the overspend is on the general practitioner prescribing budget in the Wigan and Bolton health authority; and what the expected average overspend is on the prescription budget for health authorities in England.

John Hutton: holding answer 29 January 2002
	I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The latest forecast of the overspend on practice prescribing budgets for Wigan and Bolton health authority suggests there will be a 12.1 per cent. overspend in 2001–02. This position is based on practice budgets notified to the Prescription Pricing Authority and prescribing data up to and including December 2001. The expected average overspend on prescribing budgets for all health authorities in England indicates a 7.2 per cent. overspend nationally.
	Note:
	The prescribing budgets notified to the PPA are practice level prescribing budgets. They do not necessarily reflect the total resource set aside locally for prescribing as primary care trusts, primary care groups and health authorities may hold contingency reserves.

MMR Vaccine

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many girls received the rubella vaccine in (a) each county or health authority and (b) England in each of the five years before the introduction of the MMR vaccine; and what proportion those who had received the vaccine represented of the total number of girls under 12 years of age.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 7 February 2002
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Prior to the introduction of the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, coverage for rubella for girls was measured by 14 years of age. A table of the available information has been placed in the Library.

MMR Vaccination

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he has taken to improve MMR vaccination rates since 1 January.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 11 February 2002
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Last year, the Department worked with general practitioners and health professionals to give them the most up-to-date information on MMR, so that they could discuss the issues with parents with the help of full access to the facts.
	Currently, the Department is working on ways to ensure parents can get answers to their questions including using NHS Direct and the internet, as well as through local health professionals.
	A conference was held on Monday 25 February this year, where the latest issues and research were discussed with District Immunisation Co-ordinators, consultants in communicable disease control and representatives from the nursing profession; information packs were made available to all delegates who attended.
	The Department will also be working with health authorities and primary care trusts, particularly in low uptake areas, to provide additional information to parents and to ensure all parents are given the opportunity to have their children immunised.

MMR Vaccination

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what incentives are payable to general practitioners for achieving MMR vaccination targets; and what the targets are.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 11 February 2002
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Measles, mumps and rubella is one of the vaccinations which form part of the childhood immunisation programme. The others are diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, pertussis and haemophilius influenza type b (Hib). General practitioners who provide General Medical Services receive on average a payment of £2,730 per annum for reaching 90 per cent. coverage in childhood immunisations. The average payment for the lower target of 70 per cent. coverage is £910. Actual payments depend on list size. Similar arrangements apply to GPs who work under the arrangements for Personal Medical Services, though the actual payments under this system are agreed locally.

NHS Purchasing

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the status is of the National Service Framework in assisting purchaser health authorities to determine the quality of service in (a) NHS and (b) independent hospitals; and if he offers guidance to purchasers on securing quality service from independent hospitals.

John Hutton: holding answer 5 March 2002
	The National Service Frameworks (NSFs) and the National Cancer Plan set clear national standards for the prevention, investigation and treatment of leading causes of ill health and premature death. They also recommend how services can be organised so that they are effective, efficient and dependable and set out the criteria that will be used to monitor progress.
	As these frameworks are being implemented, together with effective clinical governance, and backed up by more quality-focused methods of monitoring and performance management, the quality of care for people with coronary heart disease, cancer, mental health problems and for older people is improving rapidly.
	National health service patients treated in independent hospitals remain NHS patients. When commissioning treatment from the independent sector, NHS commissioners must be satisfied that the treatment will be of a high standard, with reference to relevant national standards and service guidance. Quality requirements can be set out in contracts between the NHS and the independent providers.
	The Department is developing guidance to help NHS bodies effectively commission high quality services from independent hospitals.

Care Homes

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the care homes in England are small businesses.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 7 March 2002
	The information requested is not held centrally.

Dentistry

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many students in higher education were training to be dentists in (a) 1979, (b) 1992, (c) 1997 and (d) 2001 or the most recent available date.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	The available data are shown in the table. Figures for 2001–02 will be available at the end of April 2002.
	
		Full-time students(59) on undergraduate courses in dentistry(60) -- Great Britain
		
			 Academic year Students 
		
		
			 1979–80 4,140 
			 1992–93 3,550 
			 1995–96 3,910 
			 1996–97 4,170 
			 1997–98 4,180 
			 1998–99 4,050 
			 1999–2000 4,090 
			 2000–01 4,080 
		
	
	(59) Home and overseas students. Census count as at 31 December in years up to 1992–93, and 1 December in subsequent years. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	(60) Covers clinical and pre-clinical dentistry.

Coronary Heart Disease

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of primary care teams have met the target set down in the national service framework on coronary heart disease requiring every primary care team to have (a) all medical records and hospital correspondence held in a way that allows them to be retrieved rapidly in date order, (b) appropriate medical records that contain easily and (c) a systematically developed and maintained practice-based CHD register which is actively used to provide structured care to people with CHD; and what measures he intends to take to ensure that the targets are met at the earliest possible opportunity.

Yvette Cooper: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Health authority service and financial framework (SAFF) returns for March 2001 show over 90 per cent. of primary care practices plan to be meeting these milestones by March 2002.
	Local health communities are currently taking stock of progress towards the NHS Plan and national service framework milestones as part of the local modernisation review process. Departmental regional offices are working closely with local health communities to ensure these milestones are delivered in a realistic timeframe.

Deferred Hospital Admissions

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in respect of each health purchasing authority in the south-east and south-west regions in 2000–01, whether they improved their budget position during that year by deferring admission of patients for certain procedures.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Cancer Nurses

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the (a) pay, (b) conditions and (c) recruitment of nurses specialising in cancer care.

John Hutton: All nurses, including those specialising in cancer care are graded in accordance with the nationally agreed clinical grading structure.
	We have accepted in full the recommendations of the independent Pay Review Body for 2002–03. From 1 April all nursing staff will receive an above inflation increase of at least 3.6 per cent. Pay has increased across the board for all nurses by at least 26 per cent. in cash terms since 1997.
	We remain committed to working with unions, professional organisations and employers to introduce a new pay system that will offer staff working in the national health service a more attractive career structure, fairer pay and consistent conditions of service.
	The NHS Plan set out our commitment to increasing the work force and the NHS Cancer Plan confirmed our commitment to investment in the cancer nursing work force. The Department's census shows that since the launch of the NHS Plan in September 1999 until September 2001, there was a net increase in nurses working in the NHS of 20,740. This increase will enable the recruitment of additional cancer-site specific nurse specialists, chemotherapy nurses, palliative care nurse specialists and additional nurses on cancer wards.
	We are committed to continue increasing the number of nurses employed in the NHS and improving retention, increasing training places, encouraging former staff to return, and increasing international recruitment. The NHS is also changing to become a modern, flexible employer. The current recruit, return and retain campaign covers all nurses, including those involved in cancer services and the staffing of all NHS services should inform a Trust's recruitment and retention strategy.

Temodal

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if Temodal has received approval from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence; what plans he has to increase its availability to NHS patients; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: I apologise to hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellence issued guidance to the NHS on the use of temozolomide (Temodal) for the treatment of recurrent malignant glioma (brain cancer) in April 2001.
	On 5 December 2001, the Government announced that they would meet their commitment to ensure that patients receive drugs and treatments recommended by NICE on the NHS if deemed appropriate by their clinicians. Directions have been issued obliging health authorities and primary care trusts to provide appropriate funding for recommended treatments.

Hospital Beds (Merseyside)

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State what estimate he has made of the additional number of beds that would be required to eliminate queueing for a bed on wards at (a) Whiston hospital, Aintree, (b) University hospital, (c) the Royal Liverpool teaching hospital and (d) Alder Hey hospital; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The Whiston hospital, University hospital, Aintree and the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen hospital each has a higher than average proportion of patients experiencing a long wait in an Accident and Emergency (A&E) department or elsewhere for admission to a bed in a ward.
	The reasons that patients have to wait in accident and emergency or elsewhere for a bed in a ward are complex and not always solved solely by the addition of extra beds. However, more ward beds have been opened in each of the hospitals as part of the overall strategy for reducing the length of time patients are waiting for admission to a bed.

Health Authority Restructuring

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the change to overall management costs in the NHS of his health authority restructuring proposals.

John Hutton: holding answer 3 July 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Changes to health authorities are one strand of the Shifting the Balance of Power initiative. The number of health authorities will reduce and, subject to the National Health Service Reform and Health Professions Bill, become strategic health authorities later this year. In addition, the number of primary care trusts will increase. There will also be changes to the Department. The reductions in bureaucracy made as a result of the whole reform programme will release savings of £100 million by 2004.

Health Authority Restructuring

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made on restructuring health authorities; and when he expects the changes to be fully implemented.

John Hutton: holding answer 3 July 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Following the announcement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on the shifting the balance of power initiative in April 2001, 22 simultaneous public consultation exercises on the boundaries of the proposed new health authorities were conducted between 7 September 2001 and 30 November 2001. The names of the 28 new, larger and more strategic, health authorities in England were announced on 18 December 2001. The names of their chairs (designate) were announced by the Appointments Commission on 19 December 2001. The names of the chief executives (designate) were announced on 21 December 2001. The 28 new health authorities will be established on 1 April 2002, when the 95 existing health authorities will be abolished. Subject to progress with the NHS Reform and Health Care Professions Bill, the new health authorities are expected to be designated strategic health authorities and to be fully operational in their new roles from October 2002.

Long-term Care

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the arrangements that he intends to put in place from October to ensure homeowners will no longer be required to sell their homes to pay for their long-term care.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Deferred payments arrangements came into force on 1 October 2001. Under this power, on admission to permanent residential accommodation, councils can agree to defer the contributions to care costs that residents would normally make from the sale of their home. Once the home is sold, the resident or their estate repays the council. If this repayment is made within 56 days, interest is not charged.
	Councils have been given a grant to cover the cost of agreeing to deferred payments.

Health Action Zones

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce health action zones covering the Greater London area.

John Hutton: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	There are already four health action zones (HAZs) in the Greater London area. East London and the City and Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham HAZs were established in 1998, and followed by Brent and Camden and Islington HAZs in 1999. There are no plans for further HAZs.

Health Authorities (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the merger of health authorities in Lancashire.

John Hutton: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Following the announcement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on "Shifting the Balance of Power", the current 75 health authorities will be merged to form 28 strategic health authorities.
	Three strategic health authorities will cover the north- west: Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside, and Cumbria and Lancashire. All of the proposed strategic health authorities have already been subject to a formal period of public consultation. The health authorities in Lancashire and Cumbria will therefore merge on 1 April 2002, but subject to legislation, the new health authorities will form the strategic health authority by the autumn.

Hospital Trusts

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the powers he has to remove a chair of a hospital trust, indicating the circumstances where these procedures apply.

Hazel Blears: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Under the terms of paragraphs 9(3), (4) and (6) of the National Health Service Trusts (Membership and Procedure) Regulations 1990, and paragraph 2(2) of the National Health Service Trusts (Membership and Procedure) Amendment Regulations 1997, the Secretary of State for Health can terminate the appointment of a chair or non-executive director of a national health service trust if:
	he is of the opinion that it is not in the interests of the health service that a person who is appointed as chair or non-executive director of an NHS trust should continue to hold that office;
	the chair or non-executive director has not attended a meeting of the trust for a period of three months; or
	if it appears to the Secretary of State that the chair or non-executive director has failed to comply with the requirements of the regulations with regard to disclosure of pecuniary interests in matters under discussion at meetings of the trust.
	Enforcement of these provisions has now been delegated by the Secretary of State to the NHS Appointments Commission.

Hospices

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what Government funding is available nationally for (a) hospices and (b) children's hospices.

Yvette Cooper: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	It is for the national health service locally to make arrangements for financial support for both adults' and children's hospices, given the extent of local diversity both of the services provided and of alternative sources of local support.
	In the NHS Cancer Plan we pledged that the NHS contribution to the costs of specialist palliative care (including hospices) would increase. By 2004 the NHS will invest an additional £50 million. This investment is intended to help tackle inequalities in access to specialist palliative care and enable the NHS to increase their contribution to the cost hospices incur in providing agreed levels of service.
	Hospices will also benefit from £70 million allocated by the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) to support palliative care projects for adults and children. £22 million has been allocated for adults and £48 million for children to support palliative care projects for adults and children suffering from any type of life threatening disease, including services provided by children's hospices.

Mental Health

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of mental health patients received a care plan in the last 12 months.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 11 July 2001
	I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Information collected by the Department's common information core at end March 2001 shows that 94 per cent. of mental health patients on the enhanced level of the care programme approach (CPA) had a written care plan. Information is not available about the number of other mental health patients who have care plans, or of the number that received care plans over the past 12 months. March 2001 data are the latest currently held centrally but the Department plans to collect information about care plans for all those on CPA from April.

Mental Health

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what local arrangements have been made under the Health Act 1999 to integrate council and NHS mental health services for (a) adults, (b) adolescents and (c) children; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	A number of partnership arrangements under the Health Act 1999 have been set up to integrate mental health services, covering a total budget of approximately £300 million. A large proportion of this money has been allocated to adult services. Some of these projects incorporate child and adolescent mental health services, and there are also some separate projects for these groups.
	Details of Health Act partnership arrangements are available at http://www.doh.gov.uk/jointunit/ notifications.pdf.

Mental Health

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those appointed as non-executive directors of the new Five Boroughs mental health care trust; and what proportion of those members are from the Warrington, North constituency.

John Hutton: Of the six non-executive positions on the board of the Five Boroughs Partnership national health service trust, only the chair has been appointed to date. He does not live in Warrington, North. The NHS Appointments Commission expect to make four further appointments very shortly.

Mental Health

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the extra spending on mental health services over three years announced in "Modernising Mental Health Services" has been (a) allocated and (b) spent in each of the three years.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002 Official Report, column 192W.
	The allocation of additional central investment on mental health care over the three years from 1999 is shown in the table, (a) for each year, and (b) between health and social services (£ millions). The mental health national service framework contains national milestones and target dates which are monitored to ensure that they are being met.
	
		Mental health investment: NSF/NHS Plan implementation
		
			  NHS PSS(61) 
		
		
			 Revenue investment   
			 1999–2000 68.5 (62)46.0 
			 2000–01 66.0 13.0 
			 2001–02 12.35 (63),(64)20.0 
		
	
	
		
			  Capital investment 
		
		
			 1999–2000 4.5 
			 2000–01 9.0 
			 2001–02 (65)68.0 
		
	
	(61) Personal social services
	(62) 8 for camhs
	(63) Of the £20 million, £1 million went to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions for the Homeless Mentally Ill initiative and a further £1 million is to be used for central initiatives.
	(64) 5 for camhs
	(65) Includes £5 million for acute psychiatric ward refurbishment, £9 million for Fallon, and £10 million additional funding issued mid-year.

Mental Health

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will meet the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in order to discuss training for school staff in the skills and knowledge to ensure children have access to early assessment and support in relation to mental health.

Jacqui Smith: Ministers and officials have regular meetings with colleagues at the Department for Education and Skills to discuss all matters surrounding child and adolescent mental health. I met Cathy Ashton on 6 February 2002. They are also represented on the child mental health External Working Group (EWG) of the Children's National Service Framework. The EWG will look at the access children have to early assessment.

Cancer Research

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on research into the causes and treatment of (a) prostate and (b) testicular cancer in (i) 1971, (ii) 1980, (iii) 1990 and (iv) 2000.

Yvette Cooper: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The main Government agency for research into the causes of and treatment for diseases is the Medical Research Council (MRC), which receives its funding via the Department of Trade and Industry. The Department's direct expenditure is on research into policy and the delivery of effective practice in health and social care. The Department's indirect expenditure provides national health service support funding for research commissioned by the research councils and charities that takes place in the NHS.
	Figures are not available centrally for expenditure on prostate and testicular cancer research in 1971, 1980 and 1990. The MRC spent £340,000 on prostate cancer research in 2000–01. The Department's direct expenditure was £1,150,000 in 2000–01 but figures for the Department's indirect expenditure on prostate cancer research were not collected centrally in 2000–01. The MRC spent £220,000 on testicular cancer research in 2000–01. The Department had no direct expenditure in 2000–01 on testicular cancer research and figures for indirect expenditure were not collected for 2000–01.

Dialysis (East Lancashire)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people in East Lancashire who will require dialysis in each year up to 2005.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The estimated number of patients from East Lancashire requiring dialysis in the years up to 2005 are as follows:
	
		
			  Haemodialysis Peritoneal dialysis Total 
		
		
			 2001 117 64 181 
			 2002 123 67 190 
			 2003 128 70 198 
			 2004 135 73 208 
			 2005 138 75 213 
		
	
	Note:
	The calculations were made using the Hennel, Wood and Mallick model and were based on the 1999 stock of renal patients and an annual uptake rate of 92 new patients per million. This is an uptake rate of 80 per million adjusted for the age distribution and ethnicity in the population of East Lancashire.

Pain Clinics

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy for there to be a pain clinic in every major hospital; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Chronic pain services exist in 220 acute hospitals, 88 per cent. of acute hospitals in the United Kingdom.
	The Clinical Standards Advisory Group (CSAG) report on "Services for Patients with Pain" published in April 2000 highlighted variations between hospitals in quality and access to pain management services. Trusts should review the services they provide against the standards set out in the CSAG report and other guidance. In this review account should be taken of the needs of both adults and children, and include patients with acute pain resulting from sudden illness or accident, as well as post-operative pain and chronic pain. Trusts should also agree with commissioners the services and resources which are appropriate to meet local needs.

St. George's Hospital, Tooting

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated at the accident and emergency department of St. George's hospital, Tooting, in 2000.

John Hutton: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	In the financial year 1999–2000, St. George's Healthcare National Health Service Trust had a total of 82,718 accident and emergency attendances, 78,898 being first attendances.

Bed Blocking (Buckinghamshire)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations have been cancelled in Buckingham, in each quarter in 2000 and 2001, as a result of hospital beds being occupied by (a) delayed discharge patients who were awaiting social services funding or assessment or (b) delayed discharge patients who had fully funded social services packages arranged.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The information is not available in the format requested.

Drug Treatment Programmes

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the level of participation of problem drug users in drug treatment programmes in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	It is estimated that there were around 118,500 drug misusers in treatment in England in 2000–01 (from "Statistics from the Regional Drug Misuse Databases on drug misusers in treatment in England, 2000–01"); comparable information is not available for earlier years. The number of users presenting to drug misuse agencies (including both doctors and other agencies) in England in each of the six month periods ending 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2001 is given in the table. Figures exclude treatment in prisons.
	
		Number of users presenting for treatment to drug misuse agencies in England during the six month periods ending 31 March 1997 to -- 31 March 2001
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 March 1997 25,925 
			 September 1997 21,996 
			 March 1998 23,916 
			 September 1998 28,599 
			 March 1999 28,499 
			 September 1999 30,545 
			 March 2000 31,815 
			 September 2000 33,093 
			 March 2001 33,234 
		
	
	Source:
	Statistics from the Regional Drug Misuse Databases, Department of Health

Trivax Vaccines

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which health authorities inoculated children with Wellcome's Trivax vaccines that came from (a) batch 3741 and (b) batch 3732; how many children were so vaccinated; how many adverse reactions were reported in respect of each batch, including fatalities; if he will take steps to trace those who have been inoculated with vaccines from these batches; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 20 July 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Batches 3741 and 3732 of Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (DTP) vaccine are believed to have been manufactured and distributed in Eire in the late 1960s and early 1970s. At that time DTP vaccine was not provided by the Department but was either purchased by local health authorities or obtained by general practitioners (GPs) from local retail pharmacists. Thus, information on whether batches 3741 and 3732 were supplied to United Kingdom doctors is not held centrally. Should such vaccines have been issued, the only information on who might have received them will depend on GPs or local health authority clinics maintaining records that will be now over 30-years-old. The Department has asked the then manufacturer's present owners, GlaxoSmithKline, to investigate their records. The National Institute for Biological Standards and Control has also been asked to investigate whether they tested these vaccines.
	Extensive investigation of the safety of pertussis vaccines was undertaken during the 1970s and early 1980s following negative publicity about brain damage following pertussis immunisation. In 1981 a major report was published by the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation which investigated pertussis vaccine, including suspected adverse reactions to the vaccine. The report of this investigation was published in 1981 ("Whooping Cough", HMSO, ISBN 0 11 3207646) and advises on page 47 that
	"From 1964 onwards, all vaccines used in the UK also conformed to World Health Organisation standards of preparation and potency".
	The Yellow Card database has been interrogated for reports of suspected adverse reactions to the vaccine batches 3714 and 3723 which were available between 1968 and 1971. No such reports have been identified. For reports received in the late 1960s and early 1970s, full data are not available for all reports. For those reports where full information is available, the batch number of the suspected vaccine is not always provided. The Yellow Card used at that time did not specifically ask reporters to provide information on batch numbers. The Yellow Card used currently asks specifically for information on batch and since 1992, where this information has been provided by the reporter, there has been full electronic capture of this information on the database.
	Investigation of reports of suspected adverse reactions following pertussis containing vaccines (principally DTP vaccine) reveals no rise in reactions during the period when, if they were used in the UK, batches 3741 and 3732 might have been given (late 1960s and early 1970s) (see table).
	
		Breakdown of reports of suspected adverse reactions
		
			 Year Number of reports received 
		
		
			 1964 92 
			 1965 69 
			 1966 42 
			 1967 63 
			 1968 40 
			 1969 44 
			 1970 36 
			 1971 44 
			 1972 37 
			 1973 19 
			 1974 37 
			 1975 15 
			 1976 46 
			 1977 127 
			 1978 143 
			 1979 168 
			 1980 209 
		
	
	Note:
	Suspected adverse reaction reports for pertussis containing vaccine collected via the Committee on Safety of Medicine's Yellow Card Scheme
	These figures represent suspected adverse reactions associated with single and multi-component pertussis- containing vaccines. It should be noted that a report of a suspected adverse reaction does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the vaccine. Many vaccines are administered in combination and in these circumstances it may be difficult to ascribe the cause of the reaction to an individual vaccine.
	Adverse reporting rates are influenced by many factors, including the extent of use of a drug or vaccine and any publicity about the vaccine.

Blood Donors

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what disciplinary action has been taken over the statement of the chairman of the National Blood Authority concerning gay men who consider blood donation.

Yvette Cooper: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, Lord Hunt of Kingsheath met the chairman of the National Blood Authority on 24 April. The chairman sent a letter of apology to the Pink Paper which was published on 3 May.

Nursing Homes

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing and residential care (a) homes and (b) beds have closed in Oxfordshire in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The number of residential and nursing care establishment closures in 1999 and 2000, together with number of new registrations, are presented in the table. Information is not available centrally on the number of beds associated with closures or new registrations.
	
		Number of care home establishment closures and new home registrations in Oxfordshire, year ending 31 March
		
			  Residential(66) Nursing(67) 
		
		
			  Number of establishment closures 
			 1999 13 n/a 
			 2000 16 1 
			
			  Number of new registrations 
			 1999 8 n/a 
			 2000 17 7 
		
	
	n/a = not available
	(66) Oxfordshire county council
	(67) Oxfordshire health authorities
	Source:
	Registration and Inspection Survey

Nursing Homes

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing and residential care (a) homes and (b) beds have closed in Essex in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The number of residential and nursing care establishment closures in 1999 and 2000, together with the number of new registrations, are presented in the table. Information is not available centrally on the number of beds associated with closures or new registrations. Information is not available for the years ending 31 March 1997 and 1998 as the registration and inspection survey was first collected in its current format for the year ending 31 March 1999.
	
		Number of care home establishment closures and new home registrations in Essex, year ending 31 March
		
			  Residential(68) Nursing(69) 
		
		
			  Number of establishment closures 
			 1999 n/a 1 
			 2000 33 17 
			
			  Number of new registrations 
			 1999 n/a 11 
			 2000 58 11 
		
	
	n/a = not available
	(68) Essex county council and Southend and Thurrock councils
	(69) North Essex and South Essex health authorities
	Source:
	Registration and Inspection Survey

Hospital Waiting Times

Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which health authority population includes the highest proportion of patients waiting over a year for in-patient treatment.

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	East Kent health authority has the highest proportion of patients waiting over a year for inpatient treatment. At the end of January 2002 there were 14.3 patients waiting over 12 months for in-patient treatment per 10,000 population.
	The Department is monitoring its progress closely and is working to improve this performance.

Hospital Waiting Times

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) national average waiting time and (b) Avon health authority waiting time was for glaucoma and cataract operations in the last 12 months.

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The median average waiting time for glaucoma and cataract operations are given in the following table.
	
		Glaucoma and cataract operations. Median waiting times (in days)
		
			 Area of residence Median waiting time 
		
		
			 Avon health authority 109 
			 All areas 159 
		
	
	Notes
	Waiting time statistics from HES are not the same as the published waiting list statistics. HES provides counts and waiting times for all patients admitted to hospital within a given period whereas the published waiting list statistics count those waiting for treatment at a given point in time and how long they have been on the waiting list. Also, HES calculates the waiting time as the difference between the admission and decision to admit dates. Unlike published waiting list statistics, this is not adjusted for self-deferrals or periods of medical/social suspension.
	A finished consultant episode is defined as a period of patient care under one consultant in one health care provider. The figures do not represent the number of patients, as one person may have several episodes within the year.
	Figures in this table have not yet been adjusted for shortfalls in data.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health

Hospital Waiting Times

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give figures for (a) in-patient waiting lists and (b) in-patient waiting times for each financial year between April 1971 and March 1976.

John Hutton: holding answer 31 October 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The information on waiting lists is shown in the table. The data given refer to waiting lists rather than waiting times, as information on waiting times of patients on the list between 1971 and 1976 is not available.
	
		Size of in-patient waiting list -- June 1971 to March 1976
		
			   Number of patients 
		
		
			 June 1971 519,322 
			 December 1971 493,731 
			 June 1972 496,569 
			 December 1972 479,199 
			 June 1973 542,074 
			 December 1973 508,617 
			 June 1974 508,390 
			 December 1974 517,424 
			 June 1975 532,613 
			 December 1975 588,483 
			 March 1976 583,851 
		
	
	Notes:
	Figures relate to ordinary admissions only, as number of people waiting for day cases were not collected until 1987.
	Source:
	Department of health waiting times returns

Hospital Waiting Times

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients requiring knee replacement operations have been waiting for (a) less than 12 months, (b) one to two years and (c) more than two years.

John Hutton: holding answer 1 November 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002 Official Report, column 192W.
	The number of patients waiting for trauma and orthopaedics, the specialty that includes knee replacements, at end June 2001 are shown in the table.
	As part of the National Health Service Plan, the maximum waiting time for inpatient treatment will be cut from 18 months now to six months by the end of 2005. As a first step towards this reduction, the maximum wait for a NHS operation will be cut to 15 months by the end of March 2002.
	
		Patients waiting for elective trauma and orthopaedics admissions -- Quarter ended 31 December 2001NHS trust based
		
			  Patients waiting 
		
		
			 Total 258,776 
			 Less than 12 months 245,570 
			 12–24 months 13,206 
			 Over 24 months 0 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of health form KH07

Hospital Waiting Times

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average accident and emergency department waiting times were (a) at the Royal United hospital, Bath, (b) in the UK and (c) in each region in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The Government do not collect statistics on average waiting times in accident and emergency (A&E) departments centrally.
	The Government are committed to reducing waiting times in A&E and the NHS Plan includes the target that by March 2004 no patient will wait more than four hours in A&E from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. The NHS is currently on track to reach this target with 77 per cent. of attenders spending four hours or less in A&E.

Hospital Waiting Times

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were waiting (a) over six months, (b) over nine months, (c) over 12 months, (d) over 15 months and (e) over 18 months for in-patient treatment in the mid-Essex hospital trust area for (i) the latest available month and (ii) the previous month.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Inpatient data for mid-Essex hospital services NHS trust
		
			  November 2001 December 2001 
		
		
			  Of those waiting, number who have waited:  
			 More than six months 2,426 2,605 
			 More than nine months 1,232 1,209 
			 More than 12 months 452 370 
			 More than 15 months 61 58 
			 More than 18 months 0 0 
			  
			 Total number waiting 8,787 9,228 
		
	
	Source:
	KH07 quarterly return/monthly waiting times returns

Spinal Injuries

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many serious spinal cord injuries occurred in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 October 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The information requested is not collected centrally. We do, however, have some data on the incidence of spinal injury consultations, as detailed in the table:
	
		Finished consultant episodes (FCEs(70)) by main diagnosis -- NHS Hospitals England 1996–97 to 2000–01
		
			  Spinal cord injuries(70) 
		
		
			 1996–97 11,490 
			 1997–98 11,433 
			 1998–99 10,900 
			 1999–2000 11,071 
			 2000–01 10,813 
		
	
	(70) An FCE is defined as a period of patient care under one consultant in one health care provider.
	Note:
	1. Data in this table is grossed for both coverage and unknown/invalid clinical data, except for 1998–99 to 2001–01 which are ungrossed.
	2. The figures do not represent the number of patients, as one person may have several episodes within a year.
	3. The main diagnosis is the first of seven diagnosis fields in the HES data set, and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.

Hip Replacements

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the average cost of financing a hip replacement operation for a 65-year-old British citizen in each EU country.

John Hutton: holding answer 15 October 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The Department has not undertaken a review of the cost of treatments and procedures across all member states of the European Union. Within the national health service in England, we collect and publish the costs of a range of treatments and procedures on an annual basis. This information is made available to the NHS and general public and can be found on the Department's website. The cost of a primary hip replacement for a British citizen (carried out as a planned in-patient procedure), is detailed in the table for four preceding years.
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 3,678 
			 1998–99 3,755 
			 1999–2000 3,899 
			 2000–01 4,179 
		
	
	The costs are not differentiated by age, therefore the costs apply equally to patients of any age, not just those who are 65 years old.

Residential Care Homes

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on changes in the number of places in residential care homes.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 16 October 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	I regularly receive representations from a number of different sources such as hon. and right hon. Members, care home owners, interested individuals, organisations and local councils about the provision of residential and nursing home care.

Primary Care Trusts

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if public health medicine will be under the authority of primary care trusts.

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	As a result of the changes outlined in 'Shifting the Balance of Power', primary care trusts (PCTs) will be responsible for the delivery of the majority of the public health services. From 1 April 2002, for the first time, all PCTs will have a Director of Public Health on its board.
	PCTs will be performance managed in this role by the new strategic health authorities and supported through the Regional Directors of Public Health and their teams co-located with Government offices of the regions.

Hospital Closures

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals closed in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000 and (e) 2001 to date.

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Information on hospital closures ceased to be collected in 1991 following the introduction of the national health service internal market and trusts.
	The Government intend to make the best use of existing and new hospitals to improve access and standards of care for the whole population. The largest hospital building programme in the history of the NHS is under way. Since May 1997, 68 major hospital developments worth over £7.6 billion have been approved to proceed.
	Last year, for the first time since 1971, the number of general and acute beds increased by 714.

Combined Heat and Power

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 17 October 2001, Official Report, column 1242W, if he will list those CHP projects that have been installed in NHS properties since 1997.

John Hutton: holding answer 29 October 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	We do not currently collect this information. However, we intend to take action and capture data on the number and age of combined heat and power (CHP) installations in the national health service as part of the estates returns information collection performance monitoring system from 2001–02. We recognise the importance of obtaining the necessary information on CHP installations within the NHS.

Energy Efficiency Week

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department took in recognition of Energy Efficiency Week.

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Environment (Mr. Meacher) on 30 October 2001, Official Report, column 592W.

Eye Tests

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many free eye tests were undertaken in Pendle in each year since 1995.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Information specific to the Pendle area is not available centrally. However the total number of sight tests carried out within the East Lancashire health authority from 1996–97 onwards is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
		
		
			 1996–97 81,242 
			 1997–98 82,270 
			 1998–99 80,493 
			 1999–2000 103,719 
			 2000–01 105,480 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Information for the year 1995–96 has been excluded due to health authority boundary changes and as such the data are not comparable.
	2. Nearly all the increase for the years 1999–2000 and 2000–01 is due to the extension of eligibility for national health service sight test to all those aged 60 and over from 1 April 1999.

Zyban

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on how the underspend on anti-smoking initiatives has been spent.

Diane Abbott: holding answer 6 November 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The 1998 White Paper "Smoking Kills" set out an overall strategy on tobacco control including health education and cessation services.
	The commitments we made in that document have been kept under review in the light of experience across the whole programme and changing priorities. In fulfilling our commitment in the NHS Plan, we have made Buproprion (Zyban) and all nicotine replacement therapies available on NHS prescription. This required the addition of substantial sums to the unified budgets to meet the expected cost of this development.
	Taking this into account together with the resources made available for smoking cessation services and health education the overall provision for tobacco control measures exceeds the White Paper commitment.

Bed Shortages

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has held with (a) senior health service officials, (b) senior clinicians and (c) patient groups on the possibility of bed shortages in hospitals (i) in London and (ii) elsewhere in the United Kingdom this winter.

John Hutton: holding answer 7 November 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Ministers hold regular discussions with key groups of health service officials, clinicians and patient groups. Health service circular 2001/014/local authority circular (2001)17 published in July 2001 gave guidance to the national health service in England on planning capacity. Under this guidance all health authorities established local capacity planning groups to plan capacity for winter 2001–02. As a result the NHS went into winter with 1,225 more general and acute and 198 critical care beds than the same time in 2000–01. The results of the bed census which was carried out at the end of November 2001 were published in "NHS Emergency Pressures—Making Progress" which was placed in the Library in December 2001.

Hearing Aids

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answers to the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey) of 24 April 2001, Official Report, columns 171–72W, on digital hearing aids, whether first wave sites will receive funding for the continued provision of digital hearing aids throughout the financial year 2002–03; and if the allocated money for national roll-out will cover two years.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 13 November 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The first wave trusts will receive funding to allow them to continue providing digital hearing aids throughout 2002–03. The £20 million announced on 24 December 2001 will also allow another 30 sites to be providing digital hearing aids by the end of 2002–03.

Hearing Aids

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been given (a) digital hearing aids and (b) analogue aids at each of the designated pilot sites since the instigation of each trust's pilot status.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The Royal National Institute for Deaf People manages the project on behalf of the Department. The project team has provided information showing that by the end of January 2002, 21,347 adults had been assessed for digital aids by the 20 trusts involved in the pilot project. 16,352 of these had been fitted with 22,346 digital hearing aids. In addition some 400 other patients had received analogue aids. It is not possible to break down these figures by site.

Private Finance Initiative

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the anticipated savings to public funds from the private finance initiative schemes for mental health and community services.

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 22 November 2001, Official Report, columns 411W, and 413W) in which I listed all major private finance initiative contracts which have reached financial close since May 1997 with figures for projected savings on each.
	The table includes two mental health and community services schemes: the West Berkshire priority care NHS trust (now Berkshire Healthcare NHS trust) and the Leeds community and mental health services NHS trust.
	Value for money in private finance is assessed on a case by case basis upon presentation of the full business case. None of the other 60 major and medium sized hospital schemes comprising the NHS plan target have yet to reach this stage so it is not possible to anticipate the savings to public funds for these schemes.
	Value for money figures are not held centrally for schemes with a capital value below £20 million.

Private Health Care Provision

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 November 2001, Official Report, column 112W, on private health care provision, how the money being made available to the NHS to buy treatment for NHS patients in the private sector will be spent on different medical specialties; how much money he estimates will be saved compared with carrying out the same treatments in the NHS itself; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: holding answer 14 November 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	£40 million has been allocated to buy additional elective cases in the private sector this year. It was targeted to those health authorities most in need of short term support.
	The funding will be used to free up national health service capacity but the exact number of cases purchased, the specialties which the money will be spent on, and the prices of the different procedures is not yet known. This will depend on the final details of contracts negotiated with the private sector. We will make the final figures available after the end of the financial year.

Suicides

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what key indicators are used to assess whether a person is actively contemplating suicide; and what plans he has to raise awareness of them among (a) health professionals and (b) the public.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 November 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Information about the factors associated with suicide, including the social, economic and clinical indicators for vulnerable individuals and groups is provided in the National Service Framework for Mental Health, along with the action needed to achieve the target in "Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation" to reduce the death rate from suicide by at least one fifth by 2010. We are also in the process of developing a national suicide prevention strategy which we will launch for public consultation in spring 2002.
	The Department continues to work in partnership with mental health service users, voluntary sector charities and professional organisations to provide better information about mental health issues, to challenge the stigma and discrimination that is often associated with mental ill health and to contribute to a reduction in suicide rates.

Fair Trade Goods

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is in relation to departmental spending for supplies concerning the purchase of fair trade goods.

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	I refer the hon. member to the reply given to him by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development on 16 November 2001, Official Report, column 931W.

Service Delivery

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health to what extent the NHS has met its targets for service delivery since 1997.

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent to which the NHS has improved in terms of delivery since 1997.

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) and to the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) for the delay in responding to these questions. I refer both hon. Members to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Progress made to date is outlined in both the Department of Health's annual departmental report and the Modernisation Board's annual report ("The NHS Plan—a Progress Report"); both of which are available through the Library. These documents clearly show that, thanks to the hard work of frontline staff and managers, the NHS is making good progress towards its targets for service delivery. Our on-going monitoring includes these examples of good progress:
	The Q3 access survey shows the NHS is on target to meet the 2004 primary care access milestones.
	Since May 1997, 68 major hospital developments (64 PFI and four public) worth over £7.6 billion have been approved to proceed. 10 of these (eight PFI and two public) are already operational and are treating patients.
	Since 1997 the number of nurses has increased by 31,520. Between September 1999 and September 2001 the number of nurses increased by 20,740 or 9.9 per cent. This means the NHS plan target has been reached well in advance of the 2004 target. We are now focusing on achieving the manifesto commitment and on retaining existing staff.
	There are now 20 per cent. (4,320) more consultants than there were in 1997. The number of consultants increased by 10.6 per cent. (2,460) between the NHS plan baseline (September 1999) and September 2001.
	668 new critical care beds since January 2000 represents a 28 per cent. increase, putting us on course to achieve the target of a 30 per cent. increase by January 2003.
	714 new beds in general and acute wards puts us over a third of the way towards the target of 2,100 by April 2004.
	163 rapid access chest pain clinics were open by the end of quarter 3. The plan target was 100 clinics by April 2002.
	The target of 6,000 extra heart operations by April 2003 should be achieved this year.
	91.3 per cent. (67,650) of patients referred urgently with suspected cancer were seen within two weeks during Q2 2001–02.
	By the end of March 2002 no patients should have to wait more than 15 months from the time of being placed on an in-patient waiting list. Latest figures show that, at the end of January 2002, 72 per cent. of trusts are already meeting this target.
	In the last 22 months, 97 per cent. of GP surgeries have been connected to "NHSnet", providing desktop email, access to the internet and a communications infrastructure for general practice across the NHS.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what submissions he has received seeking the increased use of anti-TNF therapies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis; and what assessment he has made of the level of financial support from pharmaceutical companies for these submissions.

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	We are not aware of having received any formal submissions on this subject. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence are currently evaluating anti-TNF therapy, so we would expect that they would receive any submissions. There has, however, been correspondence from MPs and the public, as well as several parliamentary questions, on anti-TNF therapy.

Head Injuries

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the ability of local authorities to commission vocational rehabilitation programmes for individuals with acquired brain injury on the basis of optimum outcome.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	We have made no such assessment. Local authorities, as part of the wider welfare to work strategy, are currently taking the lead on the joint investment plans on welfare to work for disabled people initiative.
	At the local level, local authorities are working with a range of partner agencies and organisations including health and social services, employment services, Jobcentre Plus, local education authorities, Connexions and Learning and Skills Councils, user groups, and employers' representatives.

NHS Professionals

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses holding substantive positions within the NHS are now registered with NHS Professionals.

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	The information requested is not collected centrally. The Audit Commission report "Brief Encounters: Getting the Best from Temporary Nursing Staff" published in September 2001 finds that:
	"Typically, over half (about 58 per cent.) of bank staff are substantive post holders".

NHS Professionals

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he has put in place to record complaints about NHS Professionals.

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	No central mechanism has been developed to record complaints about national health service professionals. This issue will be addressed as part of the on-going development of the service.

NHS Professionals

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of bookings received by NHS Professionals in December 2001 were successfully filled by NHS Professionals using its own nurse database.

John Hutton: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	National health service professionals was launched on 22 November last year. In December, NHS professionals saw an average fill rate of 58 per cent. with more established pilots sites like Burnley and Pinderfields and Pontefract having a 84 per cent. and 89 per cent. fill rate respectively over the same period.

Leonard Cheshire Foundation

Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with representatives of the Leonard Cheshire Foundation concerning funding for long-term care.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Representatives of the Leonard Cheshire Foundation have regular opportunities to discuss a range of issues, including the funding of long-term care, with Ministers and officials. I met with representatives of the Leonard Cheshire Foundation on 4 February 2002.

Speech Therapy

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many speech and language therapists are employed in the national health service.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	As at 30 September 2001 there were 5,680 qualified speech and language therapists employed in the national health service.
	This represents an increase of 17 per cent. more speech language therapists since 1997.

Nurses

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to change the number of whole-time equivalent nurses performing non-clinical duties with (a) NICE, (b) CHI and (c) the NHS Modernisation Agency.

John Hutton: The number of nurses performing non-clinical duties with the National Institute of Clinical Excellence, the Commission for Health Improvement and the Modernisation Agency is a matter for each of the organisations to determine and will be kept under review.
	There are currently two nurses working in NICE, 26 in CHI and 52 in the Modernisation Agency. Nurses are also employed on short term contracts and are represented on internal committees established by the organisations. There are 350,400 qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff employed in the national health service.
	Nurses working in these organisations are using their clinical, leadership and management skills as nurses to improve the quality of care delivered in the NHS.

Practice Nurses

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many practice nurses were employed by general practitioners in England in (a) 1997 and (b) the most recent year for which information is available.

John Hutton: The information requested is in the table.
	Between 2000 and 2001 there was a 4.2 per cent. increase in the number of practice nurses (whole time equivalent).
	
		Practice nurses employed by Unrestricted Principals and Equivalents (UPEs)(71) in England as at 1 October 1997 and 30 September 2001
		
			 (headcount) and whole time equivalents (WTE)  
		
		
			 Practice Nurses 1997 2001 
			 Headcount 18,389 19,846 
			 WTE 10,082 11,163 
		
	
	(71) UPEs include GMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs.
	Source:
	Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

NHS Pensions

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will change the rules whereby women who worked for the NHS prior to 6 April 1988 do not have their contributions to the superannuation scheme prior to that date counted towards the calculations of their widower's pension, whereas male contributions prior to that date are counted towards their widow's pension.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the former Member for North Norfolk (Mr. Prior) on 13 January 1999, Official Report, column 212W.

Residential Care (Lancashire)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care beds in private homes there were in Lancashire in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and (f) today.

Jacqui Smith: Information on the number of residential and nursing care beds in independent care homes in Lancashire at 31 March of each year is shown in the table.
	
		Number of care beds in independent care homes in Lancashire(72),(73), 1997 to 2001
		
			  Rounded numbers  
			 Year(74) Number of care beds in independent care homes Number of care beds in independent residential care homes Number of care beds in independent nursing care homes 
		
		
			 1997(75) 19,850 12,200 7,650 
			 1998 20,390 12,620 7,780 
			 1999 20,100 12,790 7,310 
			 2000 19,830 12,900 6,930 
			 2001 18,870 12,690 6,190 
		
	
	(72) Following local government reorganisation, information for Lancashire includes Lancashire County (remaining) and Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen Unitary Authorities.
	(73) Information includes nursing care beds figures from East Lancashire, North West Lancashire and South Lancashire health authorities but excludes figures from Morecambe Bay health authority whose boundaries cover part of Cumbria local authority.
	(74) At 31 March.
	(75) The number of nursing beds in 1997 refers to the period 1 October 1996 to 31 March 1997.
	Source:
	Department of Health's annual returns.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what regulatory exemptions from the Care Standards Act 2000 are available to operators of simple hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the community who are registered charities.

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	There are no exemptions from regulation under the Care Standards Act for operators of simple hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers who are registered charities. However, the standards for hyperbaric facilities for therapeutic use are considerably fewer than for those used to treat patients with acute medical conditions, and proportionate to their simpler operation.

Northwood and Pinner Community Hospital

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 19 November 2001, Official Report, column 112W, what progress has been made on the modernisation of Northwood and Pinner community hospital; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The Hillingdon modernisation review began in the autumn of 2001. Its purpose is to set the strategic context for the longer term development of Hillingdon health and social care services, including the estate and facilities required to deliver these services. Proposals for the future of Northwood and Pinner community hospital will emerge from the strategic plans currently being drawn up for the development of the Hillingdon hospital infrastructure and services, and will take account of the needs of Harrow residents. The proposals are being developed to support the priorities identified within the local modernisation review.

NHS Concordat

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 6 February 2002, Official Report, column 1047, on the NHS Concordat, how many patients have been treated under the NHS Concordat by each health authority area.

John Hutton: holding answer 4 March 2002
	I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool North, and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	This information is not available centrally.

Residential and Nursing Homes

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the definition of registered used for a (a) residential and (b) nursing home.

Jacqui Smith: The definition under the Registered Homes Act 1984, Part I for the registration of a care homes is:
	"any establishment which provides or is intended to provide, whether for reward or not, residential accommodation with both board and personal care",
	The definition under Part II of the 1984 Act for registration of a nursing home is more extensive covering premises providing nursing, maternity care and other specified services.
	Under the Care Standards Act (CSA) 2000, the definition of a care home or nursing home for registration is as follows:
	an establishment is a care home if it provides accommodation, together with nursing or personal care:
	The definition then sets out persons to whom such services are provided. The changes under the CSA 2000 remove the old requirements in relation to "board" under the 1984 Act, and include nursing and personal care in the same definition. From 1 April 2002, the other services covered by Part II of the 1984 Act will become independent hospitals.

Residential and Nursing Homes

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health where new (a) nursing and (b) residential homes have been registered in each of the last three years.

Jacqui Smith: Details of the number of new homes registered are available for 1998–99 and 1999–2000. These are in the publications for 1998–99 and 1999–2000 entitled 'Activity, workload and resources of Local Authority, Health Authority and Joint Inspection Units: summary results of a survey in England'. Copies of the publications are in the Library and on the website at: http:// www.doh.gov.uk/public/regandinspect.htm for 1998–99 and http://www.doh.gov.uk/public/regandinspect2.htm and http://www.doh.gov.uk/public/regandinspect3.htm for 1999–2000.

Residential and Nursing Homes

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which bed and breakfast accommodation has been utilised in place of residential or nursing home beds in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many local authorities have utilised bed and breakfast accommodation for (a) residential and (b) nursing home facilities in the last 12 months.

Jacqui Smith: I am not aware of any cases where local authorities have used bed and breakfast accommodation in place of either residential or nursing home care during the past 12 months.

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 March 2002 to the hon. Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble), Official Report, column 275W, on parliamentary questions, what the average time taken is (a) to draft an answer for submission to a Minister for approval, (b) for the Minister to approve and (c) from approval to providing the answer to the hon. Member, for parliamentary questions tabled since June 2001.

Alan Milburn: I regret that this information cannot be provided because the record management database, from which it would be drawn, is currently not reliable for the reasons set out in the answer to which the hon. Member refers.

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 March 2002 to the hon. Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble), Official Report, column 275W, on parliamentary questions, what evidence he has of the systematic falsification in recording the handling of parliamentary questions in his Department.

Alan Milburn: There is evidence that the record management database used in the Parliamentary Section has been falsified—apparently deliberately—to show answers as having been dealt with when they had not.
	This is the subject of the investigation now under way. I will report to the House on the outcome of the investigation as soon as possible.

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 March 2002 to the hon. Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble), Official Report, column 275W, on parliamentary questions, what systems his Department uses to monitor the number of unanswered parliamentary questions.

Alan Milburn: The record management database in the Department's Parliamentary section provides this information and has been used to monitor progress on outstanding questions.

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 March 2002 to the hon. Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble), Official Report, column 192W, ref. 41128, on parliamentary questions, what form his investigation into the systematic falsification of records in his Department will take; when he expects to complete the investigation; how much the investigation will cost; and if he will place a copy of the report in the Library when the investigation has been completed.

Alan Milburn: The investigation is being carried out under the personal supervision of the Department's Director of Corporate Affairs; and it will report to the Permanent Secretary. The aim of the investigation is to establish the facts about what appears to be the systematic falsification of the record management system in the parliamentary section and to ensure that the necessary remedial action is taken. I have undertaken to report to Parliament on the outcome of the investigation; and I will do this as quickly and as fully as possible, subject to the need to avoid prejudicing any disciplinary proceedings. It is too early to give an estimate of the cost of the investigation.

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 March 2002 to the hon. Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble), Official Report, column 192W, ref. 41128 on parliamentary questions, if he will break down by political party, the number of questions that were systematically recorded as being answered but were not.

Alan Milburn: A total of 214 parliamentary questions were found to be falsely recorded on the Department's record management database as having been answered when they had not. These were broken down by political party as follows.
	
		
			   Number 
		
		
			 Conservative 86 
			 Labour 71 
			 Liberal Democrat 45 
			 Scottish Nationalist 10 
			 Plaid Cymru 2

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble), of 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W, ref. 41128, on parliamentary questions, when he first was informed of the evidence suggesting systematic falsification in recording the handling of parliamentary questions.

Alan Milburn: I was first informed of this on 28 February, following which a full audit of outstanding questions was carried out. This provided the basis for the answer to which the hon. Member refers.

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 March 2002 to the hon. Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble), Official Report, column 192W, ref. 41128, on parliamentary questions, how many extra civil servants he has drafted into the Department's parliamentary section to reduce the backlog of unanswered parliamentary questions; and what he estimates the additional costs to his Department will be.

Alan Milburn: To meet the commitment to aim to deal with all outstanding questions due for reply before 14 February by 12 March, three extra staff have been redeployed to the Parliamentary Section. The section is also receiving additional support from other areas of the Private Office. This involves re-prioritising work, rather than incurring additional overall costs, except for the additional cost of paying for a temporary replacement for the suspended member of staff which it is too early yet to estimate.

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 March 2000 to the hon. Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble), Official Report, column 275W, ref 41128, on parliamentary questions, if he will list the roles and responsibilities of the civil servant who has been suspended in his Department.

Alan Milburn: The individual concerned works in the Parliamentary Section of the Department. It would be inappropriate to give further details which might identify the individual, as departmental disciplinary procedures are being followed.

Parliamentary Questions

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to answer questions numbers (a) 9513, (b) 17418, (c) 16461, (d) 13966, (e) 13780, (f) 12020, (g) 10511, (h) 13967, (i) 13968, (j) 13853, (k) 13856 and (l) 14110.

Alan Milburn: The aim is to reply to all these questions by 12 March.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how Ministers in his Department ensure that answers to parliamentary questions are given as speedily as possible.

Alan Milburn: Ministers and officials throughout the Department are committed to providing speedy answers to questions and respecting the tight timetables this involves.
	There are departmental procedures which provide for advice to be submitted to Ministers within a set timetable and for regular monitoring of the process of answering questions at all stages.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures are in place in his Department to pursue answers to parliamentary questions which have not been given a substantive reply by a named day.

Alan Milburn: This information is derived from the record management database in the Parliamentary Section and follow-up action is pursued by staff in the section.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials in his Department are involved in answering parliamentary questions; and how subject responsibilities are allocated among those staff.

Alan Milburn: Questions are assigned to the official dealing with the subject area raised. As this can involve officials across the whole Department, it is not possible to give a reliable estimate either of the potential number involved or the number involved at any one time.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how Ministers in his Department check the appropriateness of their answers to parliamentary questions;
	(2)  what are the procedures followed by Ministers for signing off answers to parliamentary questions.

Alan Milburn: The procedure is for the answers to all parliamentary questions to be approved by a Minister. If Ministers are not satisfied with the advice on the reply, they will seek further advice.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the official in his Department suspended for alleged falsification of recording answers to parliamentary questions was suspended; if he will name him; and what grade his post is.

Alan Milburn: The official was suspended on 28 February. It would not be appropriate to name the official, who works in the Department's Parliamentary Section, or to provide further details which could identify the person concerned, as departmental disciplinary procedures are being followed.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the procedures within his Department for (a) registering parliamentary questions when received in the parliamentary unit, (b) monitoring the progress made in answering them and (c) registering that they have been answered.

Alan Milburn: Action on the different stages in the process of handling parliamentary questions is recorded on a database in the parliamentary section, including when they are received and when they have been answered. The database is used to monitor the progress of outstanding questions.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how his Department monitors the time it takes to answer parliamentary questions.

Alan Milburn: The record management system in the Department's parliamentary section provides this information and has been used to support monitoring of the handling of parliamentary questions.

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many parliamentary questions have been (a) answered and (b) unanswered in each month the House has been sitting since July 2001.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many parliamentary questions have been answered by his Department since 7 June 2001 by each of the Ministers responsible; and how many are awaiting answer.

Alan Milburn: I regret that the information is not readily available in the form requested because the record management database from which it would be drawn is currently not reliable, for the reasons set out in the reply that I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.

Consultants Contracts

David Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in his negotiations over NHS consultants' contracts, including the proposed seven year commitment to whole-time NHS work; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: Our proposals for the new consultant contract were published in February 2001 and these, alongside the British Medical Association's own proposals, form the basis of continuing negotiations
	The proposals envisage that for an initial period, perhaps seven years, the terms of the contract would prevent newly appointed consultants engaging in similar work outside the national health service whether the individual is employed on a full-time or part-time basis. This is designed to maximise consultants' contribution to the NHS, but not to prevent doctors from working part-time if they wish to do so.

Child Protection

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to ensure adequate funding of area child protection committees; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Area child protection committee (ACPC) expenditure, and administrative and policy support, is a matter for local agreement. As a multi- agency forum, the ACPC should be supported in its work by its main constituent agencies, reflecting the investment of each agency in activities which are of benefit to all, in particular inter-agency training.

East Riding and Hull Health Authority

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many posts will be made redundant when the East Riding and Hull health authority is terminated.

Jacqui Smith: No decision has yet been taken on this issue.
	Arrangements are being made for staff to be transferred to strategic health authorities until such time as their futures are determined.

East Riding and Hull Health Authority

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of constructing the East Riding and Hull health authority HQ in Willerby.

Jacqui Smith: The cost of constructing the East Riding and Hull health authority HQ in Willerby in 1993 was £3.4 million.

Intermediate Care (Adur/Worthing/Arun PCT)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the Adur/Worthing/Arun PCT has not qualified for additional allocations from the intermediate care investment programme.

Hazel Blears: There was a joint bid from Worthing and Southlands and Worthing, Adur and Arun primary care groups for intermediate care capital. This bid, to provide 25 dedicated overnight beds and 10 day places for assessment and care is currently being developed.

Cancelled Operations

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancelled operations there were in the last two years in each hospital trust in England.

John Hutton: holding answer 15 October 2001
	I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
	Data on the number of operations cancelled at the last minute are placed in the Library. Data on the number of last minute cancelled operations by national health service trust were not collected until April 2001, prior to this, data were collected on last minute cancelled operations within each health authority.
	A cancellation is counted as 'last minute' when the operation is cancelled on, or after, the day the patient is due to be admitted to hospital, for non-medical reasons.

Cancelled Operations

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his definition is of operations cancelled for non-clinical reasons.

John Hutton: Operations cancelled for non-clinical reasons include any operation cancelled by the hospital except where the patient is not medically fit for surgery or where surgery would no longer be medically appropriate at the scheduled time.

Clinical Decisions

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with representatives of healthcare professionals on the impact of Government targets on clinical decision- making.

John Hutton: holding answer 26 February 2002
	Ministers in the Department regularly meet representatives of the health care professions to discuss all aspects of the Government's strategy for investment and reform in the national health service.

Mixed Sex Wards

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts have applied for extra funding to implement the Department's policy of partitioning hospital wards to ensure non-mixed sex wards; and if he will make a statement as to the level of the financial settlement received by individual authorities and name those authorities in receipt of this extra funding.

Hazel Blears: Guidance on maintaining privacy and dignity was first issued to the service in 1997 and the date for achieving single sex accommodation in 95 per cent. of trusts is December 2002.
	Trusts are expected to use their centrally allocated funding, including block allocation for building improvements, by prioritisation of their resources over that period of time. No extra funding programme exists and it is for trusts to manage their capital to address these issues.

Mixed Sex Wards

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Dr. Taylor) on 26 February 2002, Official Report, column 1077W, if he will make a statement on the progress being made to reach the target of eliminating mixed sex accommodation in 95 per cent. of national health service trusts by December.

Hazel Blears: The national health service is continuing to work to the target to eliminate mixed sex accommodation in 95 per cent. of national health service trusts by December 2002.
	On-going monitoring of progress continues to ensure that the target date is met.

Mixed Sex Wards

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer given on 22 January 2002, Official Report, column 763W, if he will define the meaning of partitioning in mixed-sex wards in hospitals.

Hazel Blears: Partitioning can be used to divide wards into bays as a means of achieving an acceptable method of protecting patients' privacy and dignity.
	To ensure that they provide adequate physical separation, sound reduction and visual privacy the partition must be permanent, rigid and fixed to the building structure.
	A mobile privacy screen alone is not an acceptable solution to enhancing privacy and dignity for the patient.

"NHS Plan News"

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost is of producing and distributing "NHS Plan News"; and how many copies were distributed.

John Hutton: The cost of producing and distributing "NHS Plan News" was £800,000 a year for four quarterly issues. This is a cost of 0.2p per copy. Approximately, one million copies per edition were distributed.

"NHS Plan News"

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his plans are to replace "NHS Plan News".

John Hutton: As part of the continuous drive for effectiveness and value for money in its communications the Department is currently seeking proposals from commercial organisations about partnership arrangements to produce a regular publication for NHS staff. A commercial tendering process is under way. Any contract awarded as a result of this will be duly announced.

Brighton Health Care NHS Trust

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many formal complaints have been received by the Brighton Health Care NHS trust in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: Information on complaints received by national health service trusts is contained in "Handling Complaints: Monitoring the NHS Complaints Procedures" statistical report. Copies are available in Library.

Ambulances

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been provided to hospital trusts from his Department for requiring NHS patients to pay for private ambulance services for transfer between hospitals to obtain specialist treatment within the NHS; and on what basis NHS ambulances will not be provided.

Hazel Blears: In 1991, guidance was issued to the national health service which set out eligibility for transport (HSG(91)29 issued in 1991 with booklet "Ambulance and other patient transport services"). A copy is in the Library. The guidance states that if a patient has a medical need for transport as determined by the clinician in charge of their case, then transport should be provided free of charge, as part of NHS treatment. Medical need for non-emergency patient transport must be determined locally by a clinician and will depend on the medical condition of the patient, the availability of private or public transport and distance to be travelled. The principle applied is that a patient should be able to reach hospital in a reasonable time, in reasonable comfort, without detriment to their medical condition. Transport may be provided by either a NHS ambulance trust or other private or voluntary organisation.

Ambulances

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from the Brighton Healthcare NHS Trust about shortage of funds restricting availability of ambulances to transfer NHS patients to alternative hospitals for treatment.

Hazel Blears: There has not been any restriction placed on the use of ambulance services at Brighton Health Care NHS Trust by the Surrey Ambulance Service NHS Trust (SAST). In agreement with Brighton Health Care, an additional dedicated routine services ambulance has been made available since 1 February 2002, controlled by Brighton Health Care, to assist with transfers and discharges. This operates from 09.30 to 18.30 daily.

"Primary Care" Magazine

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost is of producing and distributing "Primary Care" magazine; and how many copies have been circulated.

John Hutton: The cost of producing and distributing "Primary Care" magazine and its accompanying website is approximately £38,900 per edition, depending on advertising revenue. It is mailed to 27,000 GPs and practice managers working in primary care and distributed to 1,000 Department of Health managers 10 times a year. A further 1,000 are printed for potential advertisers, requested copies and storage. This is a cost of approximately 1.3 pence per copy.

Hospital Food

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria he uses to judge the success of the Better Hospital Food programme being implemented in NHS hospitals.

Hazel Blears: The Better Hospital Food programme was announced in the NHS Plan and is a long-term initiative designed to improve the quality, availability of and access to food in hospitals. The programme is supported by an additional £38.5 million over four years.
	There are two key areas through which success will be judged—patient satisfaction and nutritional outcomes.
	The NHS Plan required NHS trusts to secure year-on-year increases in patient satisfaction levels with the standard of food. From this year the National Patient Survey includes questions related to the food served in hospital, and in addition hospitals undertake regular surveys of patients on this issue. Through the Better Hospital Food programme a Patient Catering Survey has been designed to test the quality of the services on offer against criteria designed in consultation with patients which addresses those issues which patients have said are important. This will be available for all hospitals to use shortly.
	There are clear links between good nutrition and good health. Through an ad hoc working group which includes nutritional experts, representatives of the British Dietetic Association, NHS dietitians and nurses, principles for nutritional screening are being devised which will facilitate the measurement of both under and over- nutrition on entry to hospital. This will allow early intervention of clinical and dietetic staff to address problems which, unchecked, may lead to prolonged ill health. In addition research will be undertaken to establish the clinical outcomes of improved nutrition and to provide a tool to ensure that the nutritional aims of the Better Hospital Food programme are taking effect.

Assaults on Staff

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to announce the figures for recorded violent incidents against NHS staff for 2000–01.

John Hutton: Figures for reported incidents of violence against national health service staff in 2000–01 are currently being analysed by the Department. The figures will be published as soon as the Department is satisfied the figures are sufficiently robust and reflect NHS trust mergers and other organisational changes in NHS.

NHS Leadership Centre

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham on 8 January 2002, Official Report, column 676W, on the NHS Leadership Centre, when he expects the appointment to be made on a permanent basis.

John Hutton: The post is still being held on a temporary basis. This arrangement will be kept in place for the time being in order to provide a period of stability for the Leadership Centre. It remains our intention to fill the post on a permanent basis, following open competition, later in the year.

MRSA Superbug

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham on 26 February 2002, Official Report, column 1087W, to how many in-patient deaths the MRSA superbug has been a contributory factor.

Hazel Blears: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 26 February 2002, Official Report, column 1087W.

Mid Sussex NHS Trust

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he anticipates spinal cord stimulation treatment will be available in the Mid Sussex NHS Trust.

Hazel Blears: Mid Sussex national health service trust has no immediate plans to provide this treatment. The treatment is, however, available though the trust at St. Thomas's Hospital in London.

Radiographers

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many qualified radiographers (a) joined and (b) left the NHS in each of the last five years.

John Hutton: Information regarding the number of radiographers joining and leaving the national health service is not collected centrally.
	The number of qualified radiographers increased by 940 (eight per cent.) between 1997 and 2001 (11,770 in 1997 to 12,710 in 2001).

Radiographers

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many qualified NHS radiographers per head of population there are in each health authority area.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS): qualified radiographers working in the scientific, therapeutic and technical area of work by health authority area in England as at 30 September 2001
		
			  whole-time equivalents Whole-time equivalents radiographers per 100,000 population headcount Headcount radiographers per 100,000 population 
		
		
			 England 10,650 21 12,710 25 
			  
			 Northern and Yorkshire 1,510 24 1,820 29 
			 Bradford 110 23 140 30 
			 County Durham and Darlington 80 13 90 15 
			 East Riding and Hull 110 19 130 23 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 70 19 80 23 
			 Leeds 330 45 390 53 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside 170 36 190 41 
			 North Cumbria 60 18 80 25 
			 Northumberland 50 16 60 19 
			 Sunderland 50 18 60 21 
			 Tees 170 31 200 37 
			 Wakefield 60 20 80 24 
			 North Yorkshire 140 18 170 22 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees 110 19 140 23 
			  
			 Trent 1,010 19 1,200 23 
			 Barnsley 40 16 40 18 
			 North Derbyshire 40 11 60 15 
			 Southern Derbyshire 110 20 140 24 
			 Doncaster 50 19 60 21 
			 Leicestershire 180 19 220 23 
			 Lincolnshire 130 20 160 24 
			 North Nottinghamshire 40 10 50 13 
			 Nottingham 180 28 210 32 
			 Rotherham 30 14 40 16 
			 Sheffield 170 32 190 36 
			 South Humber 30 10 30 11 
			  
			 West Midlands 1,020 19 1,260 24 
			 Birmingham 310 25 350 29 
			 Coventry 100 32 120 39 
			 Dudley 50 17 70 23 
			 Herefordshire 20 14 30 17 
			 Sandwell 30 10 40 12 
			 Shropshire 90 21 120 28 
			 North Staffordshire 110 23 140 29 
			 South Staffordshire 80 13 100 16 
			 Walsall 40 14 40 17 
			 Warwickshire 50 10 70 13 
			 Wolverhampton 70 29 80 33 
			 Worcestershire 80 14 100 19 
			  
			 North-west 1,670 25 2,020 31 
			 South Lancashire 20 7 20 8 
			 Liverpool 150 33 190 43 
			 Manchester 280 65 320 74 
			 Morecambe Bay 70 23 100 30 
			 St. Helen's and Knowsley 60 19 80 23 
			 Salford and Trafford 70 15 80 17 
			 Sefton 120 42 150 52 
			 Stockport 40 13 50 17 
			 West Pennine 80 17 90 19 
			 Bury and Rochdale 60 14 60 16 
			 North Cheshire 70 22 110 35 
			 South Cheshire 110 16 140 21 
			 East Lancashire 100 20 120 23 
			 North-west Lancashire 170 36 200 43 
			 Wigan and Bolton 120 22 150 26 
			 Wirral 150 47 170 52 
			  
			 Eastern 1,030 19 1,240 23 
			 Bedfordshire 90 16 110 20 
			 North Essex 140 16 170 18 
			 South Essex 110 15 130 18 
			 Suffolk 110 16 150 22 
			 Cambridgeshire 210 43 250 51 
			 Norfolk 190 18 230 22 
			 Hertfordshire 170 16 200 19 
			 London 1,750 24 1,920 26 
			 Hillingdon 40 16 40 17 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Wesminster 210 51 230 55 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 40 9 40 9 
			 Croydon 30 9 40 11 
			 Kingston and Richmond 50 13 60 16 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 250 32 260 35 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 140 22 160 25 
			 Barking and Havering 90 23 100 25 
			 Brent and Harrow 90 19 100 21 
			 Camden and Islington 280 73 300 78 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 140 20 150 22 
			 East London and the City 180 28 180 29 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey 110 13 130 15 
			 Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich 110 15 130 17 
			  
			 South-east 1,530 17 1,880 21 
			 Berkshire 130 15 160 19 
			 Buckinghamshire 100 14 130 18 
			 East Kent 100 16 110 19 
			 West Kent 180 18 220 22 
			 East Surrey 40 9 50 11 
			 West Surrey 160 25 200 31 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 150 19 170 22 
			 West Sussex 90 12 110 15 
			 Northamptonshire 100 17 130 21 
			 Oxfordshire 160 26 200 31 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 60 11 80 14 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire 140 25 170 30 
			 Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South-east Hampshire 120 18 160 23 
			  
			 South-west 1,130 23 1,370 27 
			 Somerset 70 14 90 18 
			 South and West Devon 150 24 180 30 
			 Wiltshire 100 17 130 21 
			 Avon 320 32 380 37 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 100 20 120 23 
			 Dorset 170 25 210 29 
			 North and East Devon 90 19 110 23 
			 Gloucestershire 130 22 150 27 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are combined totals for qualified therapeutic and diagnostic radiographers
	2. Staff in post figures are round to the nearest 10
	3. Radiographers per 100,000 population are rounded to the nearest whole number
	4. Due to rounding totals may not equal the sum of component parts
	5. The former Solihull HA population figure is included in the Birmingham HA total
	6. Population figures are 1998 based population projections for England for 2001 by HA
	Source:
	Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.
	Office for National Statistics

Surgical Instruments

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department will take with NHS trusts who are found to be persistently reusing single-use surgical instruments having previously been advised to cease such actions.

Hazel Blears: The Department has advised national health service trusts on a number of occasions that they should not reuse instruments designated as single use. We would regard doing so as a serious breach of governance. The specific action to be taken in a particular case would need to be determined in the light of the individual circumstances of the case.

Oncology Specialists

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many working time equivalent oncology specialists have been employed in each of the last five years by (a) the Worthing and Southlands Hospital Trust and (b) the Brighton Healthcare NHS Trust.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Hospital medical staff within Brighton Health Care NHS Trust and Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust in the medical oncology and clinical oncology specialties—as at 30 September -- Whole time equivalents
		
			   All oncology  Clinical oncology  Medical oncology  
			  All Consultant All Consultant All Consultant 
		
		
			 1997   
			 Brighton Health Care Trust 10 (76)— 10 (76)— (77)— (77)— 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust (76)— (77)— (76)— (77)— (77)— (77)— 
			
			 1998   
			 Brighton Health Care NHS Trust 10 10 10 10 (77)— (77)— 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust (77)— (77)— (77)— (77)— (77)— (77)— 
			
			 1999   
			 Brighton Health Care NHS Trust 10 10 10 10 (77)— (77)— 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust (76)— (76)— (77)— (77)— (76)— (76)— 
			
			 2000   
			 Brighton Health Care NHS Trust 10 10 10 10 (76)— (77)— 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust (76)— (76)— (77)— (77)— (76)— (76)— 
			
			 2001   
			 Brighton Health Care NHS Trust 10 10 10 10 (77)— (77)— 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust (76)— (76)— (77)— (77)— (76)— (76)— 
		
	
	(76) Denotes five or less
	(77) Denotes zero
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10
	Source:
	Department of Health medical and dental work force census

Administration and Estates Staff

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will define what categories of staff come under the heading Administration and Estates Staff.

John Hutton: The following staff groups are collected under the heading "administration and estates staff" in the non-medical work force census; senior manager, manager, clerical and administrative, maintenance and works and unclassified. This includes clerical and administrative staff who support clinicians.
	Administration and estates staff can work in central functions, hotel and property, scientific, therapeutic and technical support, clinical support and ambulance service support.
	Since 1997 the number of administration and estates staff working in the national health service has increased by 27,330, 14 per cent. (from 196,700 in 1997 to 224,030 in 2001).

Patient Records

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of hard copy patient records going missing in hospital departments; and what steps he is taking to reduce it.

Hazel Blears: The Department of Health does not make assessments of the loss of hard copy patient records in hospitals, but measures are in place to minimise such losses.
	The Department promotes good practice in managing hospital records by issuing guidance on standards, procedures and management of hospital records. National health service organisations are required each year to provide assurances on the arrangements in place for ensuring the proper management of both paper and electronic patient's records. If a patient's record is mislaid, local management is accountable and should investigate the reasons why this occurred and takes all reasonable steps to prevent recurrence.
	In addition, the Department is promoting better ways of managing records. The Information for Health strategy sets out plans for the development of electronic patient records and electronic health records, with substantial progress expected by 2005.

Physiotherapists

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many working time equivalent physiotherapists were employed by the Brighton Healthcare NHS Trust in each of the last five years; and what the current vacancy rates are.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS): qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff working within the physiotherapy area of work in Brighton healthcare NHS trust as at 30 September each year—whole-time equivalents
		
			  All staff 
		
		
			 1997 70 
			 1998 70 
			 1999 80 
			 2000 80 
			 2001 80 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The current three month vacancy rate for Brighton healthcare NHS trust is 1.3 per cent. and the number (wte) of three month vacancy rate is less than 10.
	2. Three month vacancies are vacancies as at 31 March 2001 which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents).
	3. Three month vacancies rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post from the September 2000 non-medical work force census (whole time equivalent).
	4. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.
	5. Percentages are rounded to the nearest decimal point.
	Source:
	Department of Health non-medical work force census
	Department of Health vacancy survey March 2001

Physiotherapists

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) vacancy rates and (b) full role figures are for physiotherapy posts for NHS hospitals in Sussex.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2001—vacancies in NHS trusts by health authority areas and trusts(78), qualified physiotherapists three month vacancy rates(79),(80) numbers and staff in post -- Whole time equivalents
		
			  Three month vacancy rates (percentage) Three month vacancies Staff in post 
		
		
			 England total 5.0 660 12,990 
			 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove HA 0.6 0 180 
			 Eastbourne Hospitals NHS Trust 0.0 0 40 
			 Hastings and Rother NHS Trust 0.0 0 50 
			 South Downs Health NHS Trust (81)— (81)— (81)— 
			 Brighton Health Care NHS Trust 1.3 0 80 
			 Eastbourne and County Healthcare NHS Trust 0.0 0 20 
			 Sussex Ambulance Service NHS Trust (82)— (82)— (82)— 
			 
			 West Sussex HA 5.1 10 140 
			 Worthing Priority Care Services NHS Trust (82)— (82)— (82)— 
			 Sussex Weald and Downs NHS Trust 0.0 0 30 
			 Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust 6.3 0 60 
			 The Royal West Sussex NHS Trust 12.6 0 20 
			 Mid Sussex NHS Trust 0.0 0 30 
		
	
	(78) HA figures are based on trusts, and do not necessarily reflect the geographical provision of health care.
	(79) Three month vacancies are vacancies as at 31 March 2001 which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents)
	(80) Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post from the September 2000 non-medical work force census (whole time equivalent)
	(81) Indicates where staff in post and numbers of vacancies are less than five
	(82) Indicates zero
	Notes:
	1. Percentages rounded to one decimal place
	2. Staff in post figures are as at September 2000
	Sources:
	1. Department of Health Vacancies Survey March 2001
	2. Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census

Hospital-acquired Infections

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the policy is of the Brighton Healthcare NHS Trust for isolating patients who contract hospital-acquired infections.

Hazel Blears: The management of patients who contract hospital acquired infections at Brighton Health Care NHS Trust is dependent on their medical condition and the location of their care, such as an intensive care unit. Patients would be placed in a degree of isolation taking account of these two factors.

Bed Availability

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the latest level of bed availability in each hospital trust.

Hazel Blears: The latest information on the average daily number of available beds at each national health service trust is on the Department's website www.doh.gov.uk/ hospitalactivity